English
Whitby
Whitby comes from Old Norse hvítr býr ‘white town’.
- Old Norsec. 800–1350hvítr býr‘white town’
- EnglishtodayWhitby
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Norsec. 800–1350hvítr býr‘white town’
- EnglishtodayWhitby
Formed from white + -by
Proto-Indo-European *ḱweydós
Proto-Germanic *hwītaz
Proto-West Germanic *hwīt
Old English hwīt
Middle English whit ‘white’
English white
Every English word from Old Norse hvítr býr
Today it means
name A placename: A town, seaport, and civil parish with a town council in North Yorkshire, England, previously in Scarborough district (OS grid ref NZ8911).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old Norse hvítr býr / Whitby