thorp
/θɔːp
/(also thorpe)
noun [in place names]
A village or hamlet: Althorpe...
- The lesser topographical names like thorpe, and in Norwegian-dominated areas thwaite, were marginal settlements and clearings.
- The most obvious evidence of a Scandinavian presence is preserved in place names, notably those ending in by or thorpe.
- Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, and to a lesser extent East Anglia, are full of place-names ending in by, thorp, and other Scandinavian elements.
Origin
Old English thorp, throp, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch dorp and German Dorf.