Kimberley

English

Etymology

English place name "wood or clearing of Kyneburga (a seventh century female saint)", from Old English cyne- (“royal”) + burh (“fortress”) + lēah (“leigh, clearing”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɪmbə(ɹ)li/

• Audio (US)

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Proper noun

Kimberley

1. Any of several places:
   1. The capital city of Northern Cape, South Africa, noted for diamond mining.
   2. The northernmost region in Western Australia.
   3. A locality in Meander Valley council area, Tasmania, Australia.
   4. A city in southeast British Columbia, Canada.
   5. A small village and civil parish of South Norfolk district, Norfolk, England (OS grid ref TG0704).
   6. A town in Broxtowe borough, Nottinghamshire, England (OS grid ref SK4944).
   7. A rural area in the Selwyn District, in central Canterbury, New Zealand.
2. A habitational surname from Old English.
3. A male given name transferred from the surname or place name (site of a battle in the Boer Wars).
4. A female given name transferred from the surname, variant of Kimberly, popular in the 1960s and the 1970s.
   • 1991, Don DeLillo, Mao II, Viking, →ISBN, page 16:

     It will take some getting used to, a husband named Kim. She has known girls named Kim since she was a squirt in a sunsuit. Quite a few really. Kimberleys and plain Kims.

Derived terms

• Kimberley horse disease
• kimberlite

 

See also

• Kimberly