-bury

See also: Bury and bury

English

Etymology

From Old English byriġ, the dative case of burg (“fortified place”) (whence borough).

Due to the collapse of the case system between Old and Middle English, many placenames retain a fossilized dative form, as places would most commonly have been invoked in the dative (after a preposition in, at, to etc.).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /-bɹi/, /-bəɹi/, /-bɹɪ/, /-bəɹɪ/

• Audio (Southern England):

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• Audio (Southern England):

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• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /-bɹi/, /-bɘɹi/

Suffix

-bury

1. A placename suffix indicating a fortified place.
   • 1983, Barry Cunliffe, chapter 3, in Danebury Hillfort, Stroud: Tempus:

     Some of these hilltops – Sidbury, Quarley, Danebury and Woolbury – were later, in the sixth and fifth centuries, appropriated for the building of hillforts.

Synonyms

• -borough
• -boro
• -burg
• -burgh

Derived terms

English terms suffixed with -bury

Related terms

• bur-

Anagrams

• Ruby, ruby