Raleigh

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state capital of North Carolina, located in the central part of the state and serving as a major governmental and cultural hub
2. A city in central North Carolina that functions as the state's capital and is part of the Research Triangle metropolitan area
3. The capital city of North Carolina, situated in the state's interior and historically significant as a planned city established in 1792

Etymology: A roe deer and a clearing in the woods: that is the picture behind this name. In Old English, "rā" or "rāha" meant "roe deer," and "lēah" meant "woodland" or "clearing." Joined together, they describe a woodland place linked with the roe deer. The second part survives today as the "-ley" ending, which is the same element as modern English "lea," a meadow or open pasture. So the name keeps two old words for animal and open ground, with the spelling preserving the older sense of "lēah" that has since faded from everyday speech.