Etymograph

English

Lincoln

Lincoln comes from Latin Lindum Colōnia ‘the Roman settlement Lindum Colonia’, from Proto-Brythonic *llɨnn ‘pool’, and ultimately from Proto-Celtic *lindos ‘lake, liquid’.

  1. Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*lindos‘lake, liquid’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Brythonicc. 100 BCE–500 CE*llɨnn‘pool’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CELindum Colōnia‘the Roman settlement Lindum Colonia’
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150Lincolle
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500Lincolne
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1955Lincoln

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*lindos‘lake, liquid’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Brythonicc. 100 BCE–500 CE*llɨnn‘pool’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CELindum Colōnia‘the Roman settlement Lindum Colonia’
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150Lincolle
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500Lincolne
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1955Lincoln

Earliest quotation: 1955, Ray Charles: “As I was walking down the street last night…”

The story

Inherited from Middle English Lincolne, from Old English Lincolle, Lindcolen, Lindcylene, from Latin Lindum Colōnia (‘the Roman settlement Lindum Colonia’), from Proto-Brythonic *llɨnn (‘pool’), from Proto-Celtic *lindos (‘lake, liquid’), in reference to the Brayford. In the United States, many of the places established since 1865 are named after Abraham Lincoln.

Linked words

through Proto-Celtic *lindos ‘lake, liquid’

linn, llyn

Today it means

name A city and local government district in Lincolnshire, England (OS grid ref SK9771).

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Celtic *lindos / Lincoln

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