Haarlem

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A historic city in the western Netherlands, the capital of the North Holland province, known for its medieval architecture and canals
2. A Dutch city located in the province of North Holland, lying near the coast and famed for its old streets and churches
3. The old provincial capital of North Holland in the Netherlands, noted for its well-preserved medieval centre and waterways

Etymology: Haarlem is a city in the Netherlands, and the English noun is a name taken from it. Haarlem was known for its bleaching grounds, where cloth was laid out in the open air to whiten in the sun. Its name became attached to the fine white linen woven and finished there, so a "haarlem" could be a piece of that cloth. Haarlem also left its name across the Atlantic. Dutch settlers in New Netherland named their colony village New Haarlem, after their home town, and the name was later anglicized to Harlem. The New York neighbourhood thus carries a Dutch city name, though the cloth sense is the one that gave the word its English meaning.