Kirkham

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small market town in the English county of Lancashire, lying near the Fylde coast and the River Ribble
2. A town in northwest England, in the county of Lancashire, known for its historic market and rural surroundings
3. The name of a market town located in Lancashire in the north-west of England, not far from the Lancashire coast

Etymology: Kirkham is a place name rather than a common word, and its parts are plain once you split them. The first element comes from an Old English word for "church", ċiriċe, which had been altered under Scandinavian influence, while the second element, "ham", meant "homestead" or "village" (the same ending found in many English place names such as Durham and Nottingham's neighbours). Put together, the name means something close to "the homestead by the church." The name is therefore a record of a settlement that grew up around a church, with the Scandinavian-influenced speech of the Danelaw shaping the spelling of the first part. Because it is a place name, its meaning reflects the community that named it rather than any shift in sense over time.