Where does “Pontefract” come from?
Pontefract is a compound of Latin pons (bridge) and fractus (broken), from Latin frangere (to break), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰreg-.
Pontefract (English): OS grid ref SE4522
Ancestry of “Pontefract”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | pōns | A bridge, a construction or natural feature that spans a divide |
| 2 | Latin | fractus | broken, shattered, having been broken;... |
| 3 | Latin | frangere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 4 | Latin | frangō | to break, shatter |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰrēǵ- | to shine, shimmer |