Anglesey

Part of speech: noun, verb, adjective

Definitions

1. An island off the northwest coast of Wales that forms a county of its own ; a hereditary rank in the British peerage held by a marquess
2. A Welsh island lying off the northwest coast that is also a county ; a noble title of the marquess rank in the British aristocracy
3. The large island in the Irish Sea off northwest Wales, administered as a county ; a marquessate, a hereditary peerage title in Britain

Etymology: Anglesey is the large island off the northwest coast of Wales, and its name is probably Old Norse. Viking settlers likely called it "Ǫngullsey," meaning "hook island," from "ǫngull" (hook) and "ey" (island). Another possibility is "Ǫnglisey," meaning "Ǫngli's island," after a personal name that was itself a variant of the word for hook. Either way, the name is about hooks and islands rather than about any people. The familiar link to the Angles, the Germanic people who helped settle England, is a folk etymology. Over time, speakers reshaped the Norse-derived name to resemble "Angle," and the connection stuck in popular imagination even though it has no basis in the name's real origin. The island's Welsh name, "Môn," comes from a different root entirely, so the Norse form is the one behind the English name.