Combe
Type of valley used in place names
Look up
combe in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
The "Combe de Dreveneuse" in Valais, Switzerland. A combe (; also spelled coombe or coomb and, in place names, comb ) can refer either to a steep, narrow valley , or to a small valley or large hollow on the side of a hill;[ 1] [ 2] watercourse does not run.[ 3] [ 4]
The word "combe" derives from Old English cumb and is unrelated to the English word "comb ".[ 5] [ 6]
Today, the word is used mostly in reference to the combes of southern[ 7] England .
Examples
The following is a list places in the British Isles named for having combes:
Addiscombe , in south LondonAddiscombe , in the London Borough of CroydonAlcombe, in Minehead , Somerset
Allercombe , DevonAnsty Coombe , WiltshireAppuldurcombe , on the Isle of WightAshcombe , DevonAshcombe , SomersetAshcombe , WiltshireAwliscombe , DevonBabbacombe , DevonBalcombe , West SussexBarcombe , East SussexBarcombe Cross , East SussexBatcombe , Dorset, England (named for Batcombe Down )Batcombe , SomersetBattlescombe , GloucestershireBatts Combe , SomersetBeercrocombe , SomersetBencombe , GloucestershireBettiscombe , DorsetBincombe , DorsetBlack Combe , CumbriaBocombe , DevonBodmiscombe , DevonBoscombe , DorsetBowcombe , Isle of WightBramblecombe, Dorset
Branscombe , DevonBrenscombe Heath , DorsetBrimscombe , GloucestershireBrockley Combe , North SomersetBurcombe , WiltshireBurcombe Down , WiltshireBurlescombe , DevonBurrington Combe , North SomersetButcombe , SomersetCastle Combe , WiltshireChacombe , NorthamptonshireChaffcombe , SomersetChalcombe , NorthamptonshireChallacombe , SomersetChambercombe , DevonCharlcombe , SomersetChilcombe , DorsetCombe , BerkshireCombe , DevonCombe , DevonCombe , HerefordshireCombe , OxfordshireCombe Almer , DorsetCombe Bottom , SurreyCombe Common , SurreyCombe Door Top, Glaramara , Cumbria
Combe Down , SomersetCombe Fishacre , DevonCombe Florey , SomersetCombe Gill, Glaramara , Cumbria
Combe Haven , East SussexCombe Hay , SomersetCombe Head, Glaramara , Cumbria
Combe Martin , North DevonCombe Moor , HerefordshireCombe Pafford , DevonCombe Raleigh , DevonCombe St Nicholas , SomersetCombe Sydenham , SomersetCombebow , DevonCombeinteignhead , DevonCombpyne , DevonCombwich , SomersetCompton , BerkshireCompton , DevonCompton , HampshireCompton , Isle of WightCompton , SurreyCompton , SurreyCompton , West MidlandsCompton , West SussexCompton Abbas , DorsetCompton Abdale , GloucestershireCompton Bassett , WiltshireCompton Beauchamp , OxfordshireCompton Bishop , SomersetCompton Dando Compton Dundon Compton Greenfield Compton Martin Compton Pauncefoot Compton Valence Coombe Bissett Coombe Dingle, Bristol Coombe Fields Coombe Hill Coombe Hill, a flank of Haddington Hill
Coombe Hill, Buckinghamshire Coombe Hill, East Sussex Coombe Hill (Cotswolds) , GloucestershireCoombe Hill, Tewkesbury , GloucestershireCoombe Keynes Coombe, Buckinghamshire Coombe, Bude Coombe, Camborne Coombe, Cornwall Coombe, Croydon Coombe, Devon Coombe, Gloucestershire Coombe, Hampshire Coombe, Kent Coombe, Kingston upon Thames Coombe, Liskeard Coombe, London Coombe, Redruth Coombe, Sidmouth, Devon Coombe, Somerset Coombe, St Austell Coombe, Taunton, Somerset Coombe, Teignmouth, Devon Coombe, Tiverton, Devon Coombe, Truro Coombe, Wiltshire Coombes Corscombe Croscombe Crowcombe Cutcombe Danescombe, Cornwall
Doccombe, Devon
Drascombe Drizzlecombe Eastcombe, Gloucestershire Eastcombe, Mendip, Somerset Eastcombe, Taunton Deane, Somerset Ellacombe Ellacombe, Devon Englishcombe Faccombe Farncombe Flexcombe Fordcombe Gatcombe Gatcombe Park Goblin Combe Halecombe Harptree Combe Hascombe Hascombe Hill Hawkcombe Woods Hestercombe House High Wycombe Higher Melcombe
Holcombe Rogus Holcombe, Devon Holcombe, East Devon Holcombe, Greater Manchester Holcombe, Somerset Holcombe, Teignbridge Hollycombe Huntercombe Huntercombe, Slough Ilfracombe Letcombe Luccombe, Isle of Wight Luccombe, Somerset Luscombe Castle Maidencombe, Devon
Maplescombe Melcombe Regis Milcombe Milton Combe Monkton Combe Motcombe Moulsecoomb Nether Compton Nettlecombe Nettlecombe Court Nettlecombe, Isle of Wight Nettlecombe, Somerset Occombe Valley Woods Odcombe Oddicombe Beach Orcombe Point Overcombe Over Compton Parracombe Pencombe Peppercombe Castle Picklecombe Fort Pincombe Down Pitcombe Pitcombe Down Postcombe Prescombe Down Prior's Park & Adcombe Wood Pyecombe Ranscombe Farm, Medway Riddlecombe River Swincombe Ruscombe Saddlescombe Salcombe Salcombe Castle Salcombe Regis Seacombe Sedlescombe Shalcombe Sheepscombe Shoscombe Slewton Combe Smallcombe Snorscombe Stinchcombe Swanscombe Swyncombe Telscombe Templecombe The Coombe, Dublin The Coombes, Hinton Parva Thorncombe Timberscombe Totcombe , DorsetUggescombe (hundred) Ulcombe Upton Coombe Warcombe Farm
Welcombe West Wycombe Westcombe Westcombe Park West Compton Whitcombe, Dorset
Widcombe, Bath Widdecombe Widecombe-in-the-Moor Winchcombe Winscombe Witcombe Withycombe Wiveliscombe Woolacombe Wycombe Yarcombe Yarnscombe
References
^ "Combe" . Merriam–Webster's Dictionary . Merriam–Webster. 2011.^ "Coomb" . Webster's New World College Dictionary . Cleveland, Ohio: Wiley Publishing, Inc. 2010.^ "Combe" . Encarta World English Dictionary: North American Edition . Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. 2009.[permanent dead link ^ "Coomb" . Collins Pocket English Dictionary . HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-10-18.^ "Comb". Century Dictionary . ^ Gooden, Phillip (2009). The Story of English ISBN 9781847242723 . Retrieved 27 December 2021 . ^
"Coombe" . Compact Oxford English Dictionary . Oxford University Press. 2010. Archived from the original on January 27, 2014. A short valley or hollow on a hillside or coastline, especially in southern England.
