Chester (placename element) explained

The English place-name Chester, and the suffixes -chester, -caster and -cester (old -ceaster), are commonly indications that the place is the site of a Roman castrum, meaning a military camp or fort (cf. Welsh caer), but it can also apply to the site of a pre-historic fort.[1] Names ending in -cester are nearly always reduced to -ster when spoken, the exception being "Cirencester", which (commonly nowadays) is pronounced in full.[2] However, names ending in -ster are not necessarily related, as the Irish province of Leinster, which comes from the tribe Laigin + Irish tír or Old Norse staðr, both meaning "land" or "territory". The pronunciation of names ending in -chester or -caster is regular.

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Notes and References

  1. Book: Ekwall, E.. Eilert Ekwall. 1960. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names. OUP. 4th. 92. 0-19-869103-3.
  2. Book: Wells, John C.. John C. Wells. 2000. Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. 2nd ed. Longman. 0-582-36468-X. registration.