Where does “Canterbury” come from?
Canterbury (Italian) comes from English canterbury, from Middle English Caunterbury, from Old English Cantwarbyriġ, from Old English Cantwara byriġ, from Old English Cantwara burg, from Old English Cantware, from Old English -ware, from Proto-West Germanic *-wari — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.
Ancestry of “Canterbury”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | canterbury | A rack for magazines or other papers, usually... |
| 2 | Middle English | Caunterbury | — |
| 3 | Old English | Cantwarbyriġ | — |
| 4 | Old English | Cantwara byriġ | — |
| 5 | Old English | Cantwara burg | — |
| 6 | Old English | Cantware | Kent |
| 7 | Old English | -ware | suffix denoting inhabitants or residents of a... |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | *-wari | dweller, inhabitant, citizen |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | warjaz | defender; inhabitant; citizen |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | warjaną | to ward off, to defend against; to thwart, to... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | wēr- | true |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |