Ealing

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Covering up or keeping something hidden from view or knowledge
2. Hiding or obscuring something so that it remains unknown or unseen
3. Keeping something secret or out of sight by concealing it carefully

Etymology: Ealing is a district in west London, and its name records a group of people rather than a hiding place. It derives from the Gillingas, a Saxon tribe whose chief was called Gilla. The "-ingas" ending was the Old English way of naming a people as the followers or descendants of a named leader, so the Gillingas were, in effect, "Gilla's people." The name reached the settlement through that tribal identity. Over the centuries the tribal name was worn down to the short form found on modern maps, so the link to Gilla is now visible only to those who look for it.