Langholm

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small town in the Esk valley of Dumfries and Galloway in southern Scotland
2. A market town in southern Scotland lying on the River Esk within the Dumfries and Galloway region
3. A small burgh in the Scottish Borders area of southern Scotland, set in the valley of the River Esk

Etymology: Langholm is a small town in the Scottish Borders, on the River Esk, and its name is a plain descriptive compound from Old English or Old Norse-influenced Scots: "lang" (long) and "holm," a term for a river island or flat land by water. The "holm" element is common in Scotland and northern England, appearing in place names such as Holm and Kirkholm, and it comes ultimately from Old Norse "holmr," meaning islet. The "long holm" would have described a long stretch of riverside meadow or water-meadow along the Esk, the kind of flat ground that made good pasture and was easy to farm. Because the name was given to a settlement rather than coined as a general word, the early spelling history is largely a matter of local records, and the form has stayed stable for centuries. The town's name therefore tells you little beyond its setting: a long, low patch of ground beside a river.