Arnhem

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A city in the eastern Netherlands known for its historical significance during World War II
2. The site of a major battle that occurred during the Allied campaign in 1944
3. A region famed for its natural beauty, including parks and wildlife areas

Etymology: Arnhem is a city in the eastern Netherlands, on the Lower Rhine near the German border, and its name is older than almost any English word about it. The earliest recorded form is "Arnheim" in the 9th century, a compound of the Old Saxon or Old Dutch elements "Arn" (eagle) and "heim" (home or dwelling), so the name roughly means "eagle's home" or "home of the eagle." The eagle is a common motif in early medieval place names, and the sense is a matter of reconstruction rather than a documented story. The name became internationally known in 1944, during Operation Market Garden, when Allied airborne forces tried to seize the bridges over the Lower Rhine at Arnhem. The bridge was taken but the British 1st Airborne Division could not hold it, and the battle ended in a costly defeat. The episode gave the name a lasting place in English-speaking memory, most famously through the 1977 film "A Bridge Too Far" and Cornelius Ryan's 1974 book of the same title.