durham
n. countablen. a historic city in northeast England known for its famous cathedral and university. It is also the name of several other cities and regions around the world, including in the United States.
n. a historic cathedral city and ceremonial county in North East England; also refers to several municipalities and administrative regions in North America. When referring to the English city, it is frequently associated with its Norman cathedral and collegiate traditions.
We spent the weekend exploring the old streets of Durham.
The university in Durham is one of the oldest and most prestigious higher education institutions in the United Kingdom.
While the English city of Durham is defined by its medieval peninsula and Romanesque architecture, its namesakes in North Carolina and Ontario have evolved into significant hubs for research and regional administration.
From Old English Dūnholm, meaning "hill islet". In order to get from Dunholm to Durham, two major processes had to take place. Firstly, the n at the coda of the first syllable, dun, underwent dissimilation. Specifically, by influence of the m in the coda of the following syllable (holm), said n denasalised and lenited to the oral r, thus dur. Secondly, after a weakening of the vowel quality in the more weakly-stressed syllable holm, this ending was misanalysed as the similar-sounding toponymic suffix, -ham, meaning home or farm. Doublet of Duresm and Dunelm.
Usually functions as a proper noun and is therefore capitalized. In the UK, it can refer to both the city and the wider county (County Durham).