Dunkerque
/dʌŋˈkɜːrk/noun
A port city in northern France on the English Channel.
Did you know?The name is usually explained as Flemish/Dutch dunkerke, meaning a church in the dunes, from duin- ‘dune’ + kerk ‘church’ — a reminder that place-names often preserve the oldest sacred landmarks.
Etymological Timeline
Early Middle Ages
Germanic
*dūnō
“A dune or sand hill”
Early Middle Ages
Germanic
*kirikō
“A church”
Medieval Dutch/Flemish
Dutch
dune + kerke
“Dune + church, referring to a church near the dunes”
Middle French
French
Dunkerque
“The French form of the place-name, adapted from the local Flemish name”
Modern English
English
Dunkirk / Dunkerque
“The city name in English and French usage”