A.W.A.D. - Toponyms

Oh, the places you'll go!
The summer is here (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) and it's time to head out. In A.Word.A.Day we'll take you to places that have words coined after them. In this trip we'll visit Europe, specifically, Ireland, England, Sardinia, Belgium, and Etruria.

This week we'll look at toponyms, words derived from the names of places. The word toponym is from Greek topos (place), the same word that gave ustopic, topiary, isotope, and utopia. All aboard the AWAD Express!

balbriggan
(bal-BRIG-uhn) noun
A knitted, unbleached cotton fabric, used in hosiery and underwear

[After Balbriggan, a town near Dublin in Ireland, where it was first made.]

brummagem
(BRUM-uh-juhm) adjective
Cheap and showy

noun
Something that is counterfeit or of inferior quality

[After Brummagem, a dialectal form of Birmingham, UK, where counterfeit coins were produced in the 17th century. Brummie is a nickname for someone from Birmingham.]

sardonic
(sahr-DON-ik) adjective
Marked by scorn, mockery, and cynicism

[After Sardinia, a large island in the Mediterranean. Eating a Sardinian plant was believed to produce facial convulsions as if in a maniacal laughter.]

waterloo
(WOT-uhr-loo) noun
A crushing or final defeat

[After Waterloo, a village in central Belgium where the Battle of Waterlootook place in 1815. That was Napoleon Bonaparte's last battle. He was decisively defeated by the British and Prussian forces and exiled to the island of Saint Helena.]

fescennine
(FES-uh-nyn, -nin) adjective
Obscene or scurrilous

[After Fescennia, a town of ancient Etruria known for its ribald and scurrilous songs sung at festivals and weddings.]

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