-ham
English edit
Etymology edit
From the convergence of two elements:
- Middle English -ham, -hame, from Old English hām (“home, farm, estate”), from Proto-West Germanic *haim. Cognate with German -heim and Dutch -hem, and doublet of home.
- Middle English -hamme, from Old English hamm (“enclosure”, often specifically “land enclosed by a river”), from the root of Proto-West Germanic *hammjan (“to pinch, to hem, to enclose”).
Pronunciation edit
- (UK) IPA(key): (always unstressed) /əm/, /həm/
- (US) IPA(key): (with secondary stress) /ˌhæm/, (unstressed) /həm/
This suffix often triggers a spelling pronunciation, especially after -t, as in town names like Grantham. When this happens, the /h/ in -ham is no longer pronounced.
Suffix edit
-ham
- Place-name suffix, variously indicating a settlement, farm or enclosure.
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
- -hampton
- -hamsted, -hamstead, -hampstead (compare also homestead)
Further reading edit
- Key to English Place-names (2005), Institute for Name Studies, University of Nottingham.