Falmouth

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A coastal town on the south coast of Cornwall in England, known for its large natural harbour ; a town in Massachusetts in the United States, located on Cape Cod's coast
2. A seaside town in southwest England whose deep natural harbour has long served shipping ; a community on the Atlantic coast of Massachusetts in the northeastern United States
3. A port town in the county of Cornwall, England, sheltered by a wide bay ; a Massachusetts town on the Atlantic shore, lying on the western side of Cape Cod

Etymology: Falmouth is a proper noun, the name of a port town on the south coast of Cornwall, England. Its name is about as literal as place names get: it is simply the river's mouth, the point where the River Fal meets the sea. The town sits on the estuary of that river, and the name describes exactly that geography, with "Fal" taken from the river and "mouth" meaning the outlet where a river empties into the sea. The word therefore works like many English place names built from a river name and a generic term. Other examples follow the same pattern, combining a waterway with an element meaning the point where it ends or joins another body of water. The river's own name is the older element, and the town simply took its identity from where the river reaches the water.