Combe
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A combe (/kuːm/; also spelled coombe or coomb and, in place names, comb) can refer either to a steep, narrow valley, or to a small valley or large hollow on the side of a hill;[1][2] in any case, it is often understood simply to mean a small valley through which a watercourse does not run.[3][4]
The word "combe" derives from Old English cumb and is unrelated to the English word "comb".[5] From Middle English coumbe, cumbe, from Old English cumb, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *kumbaz; compare Dutch kom ("bowl, basin"), German Kump ("vessel"). Related to Welsh cwm ("a hollow valley"), of identical meaning, through Proto-Indo-European *ḱumbʰ-.[6]
Today, the word is used mostly in reference to the combes of southern[7] and southwestern England.
Examples
[edit]The following is a list places in the British Isles named for having combes:
- Addiscombe, in south London
- Addiscombe, in the London Borough of Croydon
- Alcombe, in Minehead, Somerset
- Allercombe, Devon
- Ansty Coombe, Wiltshire
- Appuldurcombe, on the Isle of Wight
- Ashcombe, Devon
- Ashcombe, Somerset
- Ashcombe, Wiltshire
- Awliscombe, Devon
- Babbacombe, Devon
- Balcombe, West Sussex
- Barcombe, East Sussex
- Barcombe Cross, East Sussex
- Batcombe, Dorset, England (named for Batcombe Down)
- Batcombe, Somerset
- Battlescombe, Gloucestershire
- Batts Combe, Somerset
- Beercrocombe, Somerset
- Bencombe, Gloucestershire
- Bettiscombe, Dorset
- Bincombe, Dorset
- Black Combe, Cumbria
- Bocombe, Devon
- Bodmiscombe, Devon
- Boscombe, Dorset
- Bowcombe, Isle of Wight
- Bramblecombe, Dorset
- Branscombe, Devon
- Brenscombe Heath, Dorset
- Brimscombe, Gloucestershire
- Brockley Combe, North Somerset
- Burcombe, Wiltshire
- Burcombe Down, Wiltshire
- Burlescombe, Devon
- Burrington Combe, North Somerset
- Butcombe, Somerset
- Castle Combe, Wiltshire
- Chacombe, Northamptonshire
- Chaffcombe, Somerset
- Chalcombe, Northamptonshire
- Challacombe, Somerset
- Chambercombe, Devon
- Charlcombe, Somerset
- Chilcombe, Dorset
- Combe, Berkshire
- Combe, Devon
- Combe, Devon
- Combe, Herefordshire
- Combe, Oxfordshire
- Combe Almer, Dorset
- Combe Bottom, Surrey
- Combe Common, Surrey
- Combe Door Top, Glaramara, Cumbria
- Combe Down, Somerset
- Combe Fishacre, Devon
- Combe Florey, Somerset
- Combe Gill, Glaramara, Cumbria
- Combe Haven, East Sussex
- Combe Hay, Somerset
- Combe Head, Glaramara, Cumbria
- Combe Martin, North Devon
- Combe Moor, Herefordshire
- Combe Pafford, Devon
- Combe Raleigh, Devon
- Combe St Nicholas, Somerset
- Combe Sydenham, Somerset
- Combebow, Devon
- Combeinteignhead, Devon
- Combpyne, Devon
- Combwich, Somerset
- Compton, Berkshire
- Compton, Devon
- Compton, Hampshire
- Compton, Isle of Wight
- Compton, Surrey
- Compton, Surrey
- Compton, West Midlands
- Compton, West Sussex
- Compton Abbas, Dorset
- Compton Abdale, Gloucestershire
- Compton Bassett, Wiltshire
- Compton Beauchamp, Oxfordshire
- Compton Bishop, Somerset
- Compton Dando
- Compton Dundon
- Compton Greenfield
- Compton Martin
- Compton Pauncefoot
- Compton Valence
- Coombe Bissett
- Coombe Dingle, Bristol
- Coombe Fields
- Coombe Hill
- Coombe Hill, a flank of Haddington Hill
- Coombe Hill, Buckinghamshire
- Coombe Hill, East Sussex
- Coombe Hill (Cotswolds), Gloucestershire
- Coombe Hill, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire
- Coombe Keynes
- Coombe, Buckinghamshire
- Coombe, Bude
- Coombe, Camborne
- Coombe, Cornwall
- Coombe, Croydon
- Coombe, Devon
- Coombe, Gloucestershire
- Coombe, Hampshire
- Coombe, Kent
- Coombe, Kingston upon Thames
- Coombe, Liskeard
- Coombe, London
- Coombe, Redruth
- Coombe, Sidmouth, Devon
- Coombe, Somerset
- Coombe, St Austell
- Coombe, Taunton, Somerset
- Coombe, Teignmouth, Devon
- Coombe, Tiverton, Devon
- Coombe, Truro
- Coombe, Wiltshire
- Coombes
- Corscombe
- Croscombe
- Crowcombe
- Cutcombe
- Danescombe, Cornwall
- Doccombe, Devon
- Drascombe
- Drizzlecombe
- Eastcombe, Gloucestershire
- Eastcombe, Mendip, Somerset
- Eastcombe, Taunton Deane, Somerset
- Ellacombe
- Ellacombe, Devon
- Englishcombe
- Faccombe
- Farncombe
- Flexcombe
- Fordcombe
- Gatcombe
- Gatcombe Park
- Goblin Combe
- Halecombe
- Harptree Combe
- Hascombe
- Hascombe Hill
- Hawkcombe Woods
- Hestercombe House
- High Wycombe
- Higher Melcombe
- Holcombe Rogus
- Holcombe, Devon
- Holcombe, East Devon
- Holcombe, Greater Manchester
- Holcombe, Somerset
- Holcombe, Teignbridge
- Hollycombe
- Huntercombe
- Huntercombe, Slough
- Ilfracombe
- Letcombe
- Luccombe, Isle of Wight
- Luccombe, Somerset
- Luscombe Castle
- Maidencombe, Devon
- Maplescombe
- Melcombe Regis
- Milcombe
- Milton Combe
- Monkton Combe
- Motcombe
- Moulsecoomb
- Nether Compton
- Nettlecombe
- Nettlecombe Court
- Nettlecombe, Isle of Wight
- Nettlecombe, Somerset
- Occombe Valley Woods
- Odcombe
- Oddicombe Beach
- Orcombe Point
- Overcombe
- Over Compton
- Parracombe
- Pencombe
- Peppercombe Castle
- Picklecombe Fort
- Pincombe Down
- Pitcombe
- Pitcombe Down
- Postcombe
- Prescombe Down
- Prior's Park & Adcombe Wood
- Pyecombe
- Ranscombe Farm, Medway
- Riddlecombe
- River Swincombe
- Ruscombe
- Saddlescombe
- Salcombe
- Salcombe Castle
- Salcombe Regis
- Seacombe
- Sedlescombe
- Shalcombe
- Sheepscombe
- Shoscombe
- Slewton Combe
- Smallcombe
- Snorscombe
- Stinchcombe
- Swanscombe
- Swyncombe
- Telscombe
- Templecombe
- The Coombe, Dublin
- The Coombes, Hinton Parva
- Thorncombe
- Timberscombe
- Totcombe, Dorset
- Uggescombe (hundred)
- Ulcombe
- Upton Coombe
- Warcombe Farm
- Welcombe
- West Wycombe
- Westcombe
- Westcombe Park
- West Compton
- Whitcombe, Dorset
- Widcombe, Bath
- Widdecombe
- Widecombe-in-the-Moor
- Winchcombe
- Winscombe
- Witcombe
- Withycombe
- Wiveliscombe
- Woolacombe
- Wycombe
- Yarcombe
- Yarnscombe
References
[edit]- ↑ "Combe". Merriam–Webster's Dictionary. Merriam–Webster. 2011.
- ↑ "Coomb". Webster's New World College Dictionary. Cleveland, Ohio: Wiley Publishing, Inc. 2010.
- ↑ "Combe". Encarta World English Dictionary: North American Edition. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "Coomb". Collins Pocket English Dictionary. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-10-18.
- ↑ "Comb". Century Dictionary.
- ↑ Gooden, Phillip (2009). The Story of English. Quercus. p. 22. ISBN 9781847242723. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ↑
"Coombe". Compact Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2010.
A short valley or hollow on a hillside or coastline, especially in southern England.
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