Newburgh

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A city located in Orange County in southeastern New York State, situated on the Hudson River
2. A municipality in New York State positioned on the eastern bank of the Hudson River in Orange County
3. A Hudson River city in New York State, located in Orange County in the southeastern part of the state

Etymology: "Newburgh" is a place name rather than a common word, and its history is simply the sum of its two parts. It comes from Old English "nīwe burh," meaning "new fortress" or "new town," with "new" and "burgh" (an old word for a fortified settlement, the same root that gives "borough") combining into one name. The name is a doublet of "Newbury," which has the same Old English origin. Two English places grew from identical roots and settled into different spellings over the centuries, so the pair show how a single phrase could be reused for separate settlements and then recorded in slightly different forms.