Norfolk
/ˈnɔː(ɹ).fək/ proper noun, noun
Forms Norfolks
- proper noun A maritime county of eastern England bordered by Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Suffolk, and the North Sea.
- proper noun An English dukedom.
- proper noun A surname.
- proper noun A town in Litchfield County, Connecticut.
- proper noun A town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts.
- proper noun An independent city in Virginia; the largest naval base in the world is situated there.
- proper noun An island of Australia; in full, Norfolk Island.
- proper noun A territory of Australia, including the island; in full, Norfolk Island.
- noun A Norfolk jacket.
- noun A Norfolk spaniel.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English Northfolk, from Old English Norþfolc (literally “northern people”), from norþ (“north, northern”) + folc (“folk, people, race, nation”), equivalent to north + folk. As an Ecuadorian island, clipping of Duke of Norfolk's Island, bestowed by William Ambrosia Cowley in 1684 honor of Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk; his son Henry, the 7th duke; or both. As an Australian island and territory, bestowed by James Cook in 1774 in honor of Mary Howard, wife of the 9th duke.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “Norfolk”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details