Ellerslie

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A residential suburb of Auckland in the North Island of New Zealand, known for its famous racecourse
2. A district in the Auckland region of New Zealand that is home to a well-known horse racing venue
3. A place name referring to a suburb in southeastern Auckland, New Zealand, centred on a racecourse

Etymology: Ellerslie is a name that has travelled far from its Scottish origins. Most places bearing it, from the Auckland suburb in New Zealand to towns in the United States and Australia, were named after Elderslie, a village in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The name is a transplanted place name, carried abroad by settlers who wanted a memory of home. The spelling is where the trail gets interesting. Some of these places keep the "Elderslie" form of the Scottish original, while others have "Ellerslie," a variant that took hold in certain settings. The reason for this split is not clear, so the difference between the two spellings remains a small puzzle in an otherwise straightforward act of naming.