Sandown

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A seaside resort on the eastern coast of the Isle of Wight in England ; a famous horse racing venue located near Esher in Surrey
2. A holiday town on the south-east shore of the Isle of Wight ; a racecourse in Surrey known for its flat racing and major race meetings
3. An English coastal resort town on the Isle of Wight ; a well-known racing track in Surrey hosting thoroughbred horse races

Etymology: Sandown is a compound of two English words. "Sand" needs no explanation, but "down" is the more surprising half. In Old English, "dun" meant a hill or open upland, the same sense that survives in the chalk ridges of southern England such as the North and South Downs. A Sandown was, in origin, a sandy hill. The name belongs to two unrelated places: a holiday town on the south-east shore of the Isle of Wight, and a Surrey racecourse known for its flat racing and major race meetings. Their shared name is a coincidence of place-naming that the two descriptions do not explain.