Advertisement

Durham

c. 1000, Dunholm "city on a hill," a merger of Old English dun "hill" (see down (n.2)) and Scandinavian holmr (see holm). The change from -n- to -r- is a result of Norman confusion (see Shrewsbury). As a breed of short-horned cattle, by 1810, so called from being bred there.

Others are reading

Advertisement
Definitions of Durham from WordNet

Durham (n.)
a city of north central North Carolina; site of Duke University;
Durham (n.)
English breed of short-horned cattle;
Synonyms: shorthorn
From wordnet.princeton.edu