Thorp
/θɔːrp/noun
A small village or hamlet, especially in northern England or in place names.
Did you know?The element survives in English place names such as Scunthorpe and Mablethorpe, preserving a Germanic word for a small rural community.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*treb-
“A dwelling or settlement; a proposed ancient root connected with habitation.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*þurpą
“A village, hamlet, or small settlement.”
Old English
Old English
þorp / þrop
“A village or hamlet, often a smaller rural settlement.”
Old Norse
Old Norse
þorp
“A village or outlying settlement; a form that reinforced the word in northern England.”
Middle English
English
thorp / thorpe
“A small village or hamlet, especially in northern and eastern regions.”
Modern English
English
thorp
“A small village or hamlet, now chiefly literary, dialectal, or preserved in place names.”
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