firth
/fɝθ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.18 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Alternative form of frith (“a forest used for hunting; a (small) wood; wooded country; land covered mainly by brushwood”).
name
A parish on the Bay of Firth, Mainland, Orkney Islands council area, Scotland (OS grid ref HY3514 (approx.)
Countable; Uncountable
name
A small village in north-east Mainland, Shetland Islands council area, Scotland (OS grid ref HU4473).
Countable; Uncountable
name
A hamlet south-east of Lilliesleaf, Scottish Borders council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NT5423).
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "The descent continues, still more steeply to Dundee (Tay Bridge), and approaching from the bridge itself this sharp descent gives the curious appearance that the station is below the level of the firth."
- "They drove on, every rise in the road lifting their sightline clear of the drystone dykes along the roadside, gifting glimpses of the firth and the islands, the blue peaks of Arran."
Etymology
Borrowed from Scots firth, furth, from Northern Middle English fyrth, from either or both of Old English ford and Old Norse fjǫrðr (“firth, fjord”), from Proto-Germanic *ferþu, *ferþuz (“inlet, fjord”), from Proto-Indo-European *pértus (“crossing”), from *per- (“to carry forth”) + *-tus (suffix forming action nouns from verb roots). The English word is a doublet of fjord, ford, port, and fjard.
Origin
- Source language: Old English
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /fɝθ/
- British English: /fɜːθ/