Winchestre

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An older spelling of the historic cathedral city in Hampshire, England, once the capital of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex
2. A medieval form of the name of the Hampshire city of Winchester, which served as the royal capital of early England
3. Old spelling of Winchester, the ancient English city in Hampshire that was long the seat of Wessex kings and a major centre of learning

Etymology: The Old English city name Wintanceaster, from the Roman "Venta Belgarum," gave us a set of terms that have nothing to do with the city's politics. The Roman name probably contains a Celtic root meaning "market" or "fair," and "ceaster" is the Old English word for a Roman town. By the Middle Ages, the city's name was attached to the standard measures kept there, so "Winchester" came to mean an official standard of capacity. The most durable of these is the Winchester bushel, the reference measure of grain and dry goods in England. Its use as a standard likely goes back to medieval royal regulation, though the exact dates are debated. The same name later passed to a large wicker-cased glass bottle, the "Winchester quart," which holds about a gallon. Here the connection to the city is less direct, since the bottle was named for its capacity, not its place of manufacture.