Pontefract
/ˈpɒnt.frækt/noun
A historic market town in West Yorkshire, England, also known for its medieval castle and liquorice production.
Did you know?Pontefract Castle, associated with the death of King Richard II, helped make the town’s “broken bridge” name part of a landscape steeped in medieval political violence.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
pons fractus
““Broken bridge”: pons meant “bridge,” while fractus meant “broken” or “shattered.””
11th Century
Latin
Pontefracto
“A medieval Latin form meaning “at the broken bridge” or “by the broken bridge.””
12th Century
Anglo-Norman
Pontfreit
“A Norman French adaptation of the Latin place-name, retaining the sense “broken bridge.””
13th–14th Century
Middle English
Pomfret
“A shortened English and French form widely used for the town; related forms included Pontefract and Pontfreit.”
Modern English
English
Pontefract
“The standard modern name of the West Yorkshire town.”