Albemarle

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A place name for a county in Virginia and a sound in North Carolina ; a historic English noble title held by the Earl or Duke of the region ; an old variety of apple prized for its flavour
2. The name of a Virginia county and a North Carolina sound ; an English peerage title once borne by a noble family ; a heritage apple cultivar with a sweet, aromatic taste
3. A geographic name borne by a Virginia county and a North Carolina sound ; a title of nobility in the English peerage ; a traditional apple variety grown for its fine flavour

Etymology: Albemarle is a name that travelled a long way before it reached Virginia. It begins in northern France with the town of Aumale, whose Latin name was "alba marla," meaning "white marl," a reference to the pale clay of the local soil. Over the centuries the town's name was Latinised, and in the Middle Ages a title was built on it: the Earls of Aumale were a noble French family, and the name passed into England through that aristocratic line. The name became truly English when King Charles II granted the title Duke of Albemarle to General George Monck in 1660, in recognition of his role in restoring the monarchy. Monck's title, drawn from the French town, gave the name its prestige in England. From there it crossed the Atlantic. The name was later applied to the Virginia county, which is the sense this noun now denotes, so the county carries the French town's name through a English dukedom.