Ashwell

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small English village in the county of Hertfordshire, known for its historic church and rural setting
2. A rural settlement in Hertfordshire, England, noted for its old parish church and traditional village character
3. A quiet English village located in Hertfordshire, with a history reaching back many centuries

Etymology: Ashwell is a place-name, and its history is simply the sum of two plain Old English words. "Æsc" meant "ash tree" and "wella" meant "spring" or "well," so the name describes a spring beside a stand of ashes. Many English villages and hamlets carry names of this type, which were coined when the land was first settled and remained in use as the settlements grew. The most-cited bearer of the name is the village of Ashwell in Hertfordshire, whose name follows exactly this pattern. Because the name was given to a place rather than an object, its meaning has stayed fixed in its parts: the tree and the water are still there in the word for anyone who knows the elements.