Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Portsmouth” come from?

Portsmouth derives from Middle English Portesmuða and Old English Portesmuða, compounds of Old English port from Latin porta, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European per- meaning to lead or pass through.

Ancestry of “Portsmouth”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishPortesmuða—
2Old EnglishPortesmuða—
3Old Englishporta port, a haven; a town, particularly one with...
4Latinportagate, especially of a city; entrance, passage,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “Portsmouth”

  • Portsmouth
  • 樸茨茅斯
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →