Hamburg
/ˈhæm.bɜːrɡ/noun
A major port city in northern Germany.
Did you know?The name is traditionally traced to Old Saxon elements meaning a fortified place on the marsh, from which the city’s medieval power as a trade stronghold grew.
Etymological Timeline
Early Middle Ages
Old Saxon
Hammaburg
“a fortified settlement at a bend or marshland enclosure”
9th Century
Latin
Hamburg
“the recorded medieval name of the settlement”
Old High German
Germanic
hamma / burg
“marshy bend or enclosed land / fortified stronghold”
Modern English
English
Hamburg
“the German city and port”