English Reference

Word

edinburgh

Phoneticsed·in·burgh

/ˈɛdənbɝoʊ/

Definitions

01city in Scotland

A2

n. The capital city of Scotland, located in the east of the country.

n. The capital city of Scotland, serving as the nation's administrative and cultural centre.

“We spent three days in Edinburgh visiting the castle and walking along the Royal Mile.”

“Edinburgh remains one of Europe's most visually striking cities, characterized by the dramatic contrast between the medieval Old Town and the neoclassical New Town.”

Usage

Often used as a proper noun without an article.

02royal title

C1

n. A high-ranking royal title, usually given to a member of the British royal family.

n. A royal dukedom within the Peerage of the United Kingdom, typically held by a senior member of the British royal family.

“Prince Philip was well known as the Duke of Edinburgh for many decades.”

“The title of Duke of Edinburgh was recently conferred upon Prince Edward, following the tradition of granting the dukedom to senior royals.”

Formal

Usage

Usually appears in the construction 'Duke of Edinburgh'.

Etymology

From Middle English Edynburgh, from Old Welsh Eidyn, a Celtic/Brythonic region of uncertain origin (possibly a personal name; compare Proto-Celtic *dūnom (“stronghold”)) + Old English burg (“castle, stronghold”). The English name was probably a calque from Old Welsh (cf. Din Eidyn). More at Eidyn and Etymology of Edinburgh.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
A2 · Elementary
Frequency
Common
Updated

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