Halifax

Halifax

English

Etymology

From Old English halh-ġefeaxe (literally “grassy corner”), compounded from halh +‎ ġefeaxe.[1] Folk etymology suggests Old English hāliġfeax (literally “holy hair”), as compounded from hāliġ +‎ feax, from a local legend that the town is said to have received the name from the fact that the hair of a murdered virgin was hung up on a tree in the neighborhood, which became a resort of pilgrims. Compare also Fairfax.

The capital city of Nova Scotia is named after statesman George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax (1716 - 1771).

The civil parish is also named after the 2nd Earl of Halifax. Coined by British-Dutch surveyor Samuel Holland.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhæl.ɪˌfæks/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Hal‧i‧fax
• Rhymes: -ælɪfæks

Proper noun

Halifax

1. An industrial town in West Yorkshire, England, 20km south-west of Leeds.
2. A civil parish of Prince County, Prince Edward Island, Canada. [From 1765]
3. The capital city of Nova Scotia, Canada. [From 1749]
4. A regional municipality of Nova Scotia, Canada.
5. A small town, the county seat of Halifax County, North Carolina, United States.
6. A town, the county seat of Halifax County, Virginia, United States.
7. An earldom in the Peerage of Great Britain.

Derived terms

• go to Halifax
• Halifax County

Related terms

• Haligonian

Translations

city in West Yorkshire, England

Chinese: Mandarin: 哈利法克斯 (zh) (Hālìfǎkésī) German: Halifax (de) Greek: Χάλιφαξ n (Chálifax) Hindi: हैलिफ़ैक्स m (hailifaiks) Japanese: ハリファックス (Harifakkusu) Russian: Га́лифакс (ru) m (Gálifaks), Галифа́кс (ru) m (Galifáks) Latin: Halifacium m Spanish: Halifax (es) m Ukrainian: Галіфа́кс m (Halifáks)

city in Nova Scotia, Canada

Bulgarian: Ха́лифакс m (Hálifaks) Chinese: Mandarin: 哈利法克斯 (zh) (Hālìfǎkésī) Esperanto: Halifakso French: Halifax (fr) m German: Halifax (de) Greek: Χάλιφαξ n (Chálifax) Hindi: हैलिफ़ैक्स m (hailifaiks) Japanese: ハリファックス (Harifakkusu) Russian: Га́лифакс (ru) m (Gálifaks), Галифа́кс (ru) m (Galifáks) Korean: 핼리팩스 (Haellipaekseu) Latin: Halifaxia f Spanish: Halifax (es) m Ukrainian: Галіфа́кс m (Halifáks)

References

1. Watts, Victor, The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names, 2010

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Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxalifaɡs/ [ˈxa.li.faɣ̞s]
• Rhymes: -alifaɡs

Proper noun

Halifax m

1. Halifax (a city in England)
2. Halifax (a city in Canada)