Welles

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An old form of the plural of well, meaning springs of water dug into the ground ; a family name borne by people such as the film director Orson Welles
2. Archaic plural of the word for a source of water drawn from the earth ; a surname shared by notable figures, including the American actor and director Orson Welles
3. Older spelling of the plural for water sources sunk into the ground ; a family name, best known through the celebrated filmmaker Orson Welles

Etymology: Welles is a surname and place name rather than a word that began as a common noun, so its history is really the history of a village. The place-name Well in Lincolnshire, England, comes from the Old English "wielle", meaning "fountain" or "spring". The surname Welles, with its final -s, is a later form that carries the same old meaning of a spring of water, so a family that took its name from the village or from a nearby water source passed that watery sense down through its name. The word is a cognate of the English "well", the familiar hole dug down to groundwater. Both come from the same Old English root, so "welles" and "well" are close relatives, one used for a place and the other for a source of water.