Stickney

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small village in Cook County, Illinois, lying near Chicago ; a family name of English origin carried by many different people
2. A community in the Chicago area of Illinois ; an English-derived family name borne by people across generations
3. An Illinois village in Cook County close to Chicago ; a surname of English origin held by numerous families

Etymology: Stickney is a place-name element rather than a word in everyday use, and its history is that of an English island-name built from two Old English parts. The first part, "sticca", meant a stick but also a long, narrow strip of land, a sense that suits the thin, elongated ground by water that such names often describe. The second part, "īeġ", meant island, the same root that survives in modern "Isle" and "eyot," a small island in a river. Put together, the name describes a place where a narrow strip of land stands out from its surroundings, typically in marsh or river country. Many English villages and farms carry the name in this form, with the ending "-ey" or "-ea" eventually shifting to "-ney" in spelling.