Marlborough

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A market town in Wiltshire, England ; a wine-growing district at the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island ; an English dukedom first held by the general John Churchill
2. An English town in Wiltshire ; a New Zealand wine region on the South Island's northeast coast ; the English ducal title first given to the soldier John Churchill
3. A Wiltshire town in England ; a New Zealand district famed for its sauvignon blanc wine ; the dukedom created in 1702 for the commander John Churchill

Etymology: Marlborough is a place name, borne most famously by a market town in Wiltshire, England. It is built from two English elements: "marl," a soil of clay mixed with lime, and "-borough," a common suffix in English place names meaning a fortified settlement or town. Put together, the name points to a town associated with marl ground. Marl itself came into English from Old French "marle," which has roots in Medieval Latin, so the first half of the name carries a much older vocabulary than the second.