-ham
English
Etymology
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
- (UK) IPA(key): (always unstressed) /əm/, /həm/
- (US) IPA(key): (with secondary stress) /ˌhæm/, (unstressed) /həm/
Suffix
-ham
- Place-name suffix, variously indicating a settlement, farm or enclosure.
Derived terms
English words suffixed with -ham
Related terms
- -hampton
- -hamsted, -hamstead, -hampstead (compare also homestead)
Further reading
- Key to English Place-names (2005), Institute for Name Studies, University of Nottingham.