Halifax

English

Etymology

From Old English halh-gefeaxe (literally “grassy corner”), compounded from halh +‎ gefeaxe. [1] Folk etymology suggests Old English hāliġfeax (literally “holy hair”), as compounded from halig +‎ feax, from a local legend that the town is said to have received the name from the fact that the hair of a murdered virgin was hung up on a tree in the neighborhood, which became a resort of pilgrims. Compare also Fairfax.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈhælɨˌfæks/

Proper noun

Halifax

  1. an industrial town in Yorkshire, England, 20km south-east of Leeds.
  2. the capital city of Nova Scotia, Canada.
  3. a small town in North Carolina, USA, and the county seat of Halifax County.
  4. a town in Virginia, USA, and the county seat of Halifax County.
  5. an earldom in the Peerage of Great Britain.

Derived terms

Translations

Spanish

Proper noun

Halifax m

  1. Halifax (city in England)
  2. Halifax (city of Canada)

References
  1. Watts, Victor, The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names, 2010
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