Woodley

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small English village in the county of Berkshire ; a family name borne by people in England and elsewhere
2. A village located in Berkshire, England ; a surname carried by various individuals in English-speaking countries
3. The name of a settlement in Berkshire in southern England ; a hereditary family name found across the English-speaking world

Etymology: "Woodley" is a plain compound: "wudu" was the Old English word for wood, and "lēah" meant a clearing or glade in woodland, often one that was open enough for grazing or settlement. Joined together, the two words named a place where a clearing lay among the trees. The same "lēah" survives across English place names, usually as "-ley" or "-lea" at the end, as in Ashley, Brierley or Chorley. Woodley is one of the many names built this way, and it serves as a surname and place name as well as a word for a wooded clearing. Its ending is the same element found in "lea," the open meadow that the old word described.