Stanford

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A name borne by several towns and villages, such as a settlement in England or a community in the United States ; a famous private research university located in Palo Alto, California
2. The name of various small towns and villages in England and the United States ; a celebrated private university in Palo Alto, California, known for its research
3. A settlement name found in places like England and the United States ; a well-known private research institution of higher learning in Palo Alto, California

Etymology: The word is a place name built from two plain Old English elements: "stan", meaning stone, and "ford", a crossing place on a river. A stony crossing could be found in many parts of England, so the name appears in several places, and a "stanford" is simply a ford where the riverbed is paved with stones. The sense most readers now know is much newer and has nothing to do with the ford. The university in Palo Alto, California, takes its name from Leland Stanford, a railroad magnate who served as governor of California and, with his wife Jane, founded the institution in memory of their son, who died young. The name therefore moved from a rural crossing to a family name and then to a school.