English
Stonehenge
Stonehenge comes from Middle English Stonhenge.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500Stonhenge
- Englishearliest quotation 2018Stonehenge
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500Stonhenge
- Englishearliest quotation 2018Stonehenge
Earliest quotation: 2018, Autumn Spanne, Check out these crazy rock formations across the United Stat: “The collection of rocks is a national landmark that…”
A compound of ston ‘stone’ + henge ‘hinge’
Proto-Indo-European *steyh₂- ‘to stiffen’
Proto-Germanic *stainaz ‘stone’
Proto-West Germanic *stain ‘stone’
Old English stān ‘stone’
Middle English ston ‘stone’
Proto-West Germanic *hangiju
Old English *henġ
Middle English henge ‘hinge’
The story
Inherited from Middle English Stonhenge, from ston (‘stone’) + henge (‘hinge’) or hengen ("hanging", but only attested as "imprisonment"). The failure of /ɛnd͡ʒ/ to regularly raise to /ɪnd͡ʒ/, as in hinge, singe < Middle English henge, sengen, is probably due to the influence of the local dialect; compare the forms /ɛnd͡ʒ/, /sɛnd͡ʒ/ "hinge, singe" attested for the early 20th-century dialect of Pewsey, Wiltshire, approximately 18.5 kilometres (11.5 miles) from Stonehenge.
Every English word from Middle English Stonhenge
Today it means
name An ancient group of standing stones on Salisbury Plain in Amesbury parish, Wiltshire, England (OS grid ref SU1242).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English Stonhenge / Stonehenge