Hounslow

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A town in West London, England, that gives its name to the London Borough of Hounslow and lies near Heathrow Airport
2. A place in the western suburbs of London, England, serving as the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hounslow
3. A West London town in England, best known as the seat of the London Borough of Hounslow and a neighbour of Heathrow Airport

Etymology: Hounslow is a place name, and its first element is most likely a personal name. The Old English "hlāw" meant a hill or burial mound, so the name probably means the mound of a man called Hūn, though who he was is lost to history. Burial mounds were common across early medieval England, and one with a known owner would have served as a local landmark. Centuries later the name came to cover a much larger open space. Hounslow Heath, a flat, sandy common west of London, lay beside the main road to the West Country and had a reputation for highwaymen who preyed on travellers. For a time the name was as much a warning to travellers as a place on the map.