-bury

See also: Bury and bury

English

Etymology

From Old English byriġ, the dative case of burg (“fortified place”) (whence borough); doublet of -borough and -burg.

Due to the collapse of the case system between Old and Middle English, many placenames retain a fossilized dative form, as places would most commonly have been invoked in the dative (after a preposition in, at, to etc.).

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /-bɹi/, /-bəɹi/, /-bɹɪ/, /-bəɹɪ/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Audio (Southern England): (file)
(New Zealand) IPA^(key): /-bɹi/, /-bɘɹi/

Suffix

-bury

A placename suffix indicating a fortified place.
- 1983, Barry Cunliffe, chapter 3, in Danebury Hillfort, Stroud: Tempus:
  Some of these hilltops – Sidbury, Quarley, Danebury and Woolbury – were later, in the sixth and fifth centuries, appropriated for the building of hillforts.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

bur-

Anagrams

Ruby, ruby