Brussels
/ˈbrʌs.əlz/noun
The capital city of Belgium.
Did you know?The name ultimately comes from a medieval place-name built from a Germanic word for a marshy settlement, showing how a modern capital can begin as a wetland village.
Etymological Timeline
6th-7th Century
Proto-Germanic
*brōk- / *brok-
“Marsh, swamp, or wet lowland”
Early Medieval
Old Dutch
Bruocsella
“A settlement in a marshy place”
10th Century
Medieval Latin
Bruxella
“Latinized form of the place-name”
Middle Ages
Old French
Brussele / Bruxelles
“The city name in Romance usage”
Modern English
English
Brussels
“The capital city of Belgium”