Frognal

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A residential district and lane in the Hampstead area of north London, known for its large houses and historic character
2. An area of residential streets in the Hampstead part of north London, named after a historic local estate
3. A locality in north London, within the Hampstead district, consisting of a lane and surrounding residential streets

Etymology: Frognal is a place name, most familiar as a residential district of Hampstead in north London, where it gives its name to Frognal Lane and Frognal Way. Like many English place names, it records the landscape that existed before the houses. It is generally taken to combine the Old English "frogga", meaning frog, with "halh", a word for a nook or corner of land, often low-lying or sheltered. On that reading, the name describes a damp corner where frogs were common. The early spellings of the name are where the detail is harder to pin down, and the exact form it took before modern times is uncertain. What is clearer is that the name passed into local use as a field or manorial name and was later applied to the wider area as Hampstead grew. The frog itself has vanished from the name's everyday use, leaving only the place.