Aarhus

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A coastal city and major port on the eastern side of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark, known for its university and cultural life
2. The second largest city in Denmark, a seaport on the east coast of Jutland with a long academic and cultural tradition
3. A Danish port city located on the eastern shore of Jutland, home to a famous university and a notable modern art museum

Etymology: Aarhus is a place name, the second-largest city in Denmark, and the English word for it is simply the Danish name carried over unchanged. The name is old: it comes from Old Norse roots meaning roughly "river mouth" or "river valley at the mouth," describing the city's position on the Aarhus Bay coast where a small stream met the sea. English speakers use the word mainly for the city itself and for the university there, and occasionally for the Danish region around it. Because the spelling retains the Danish double "a," many readers mistake the initial pair for an English diphthong, but in Danish the letter sequence is a long vowel sound rather than a separate syllable.