a turning; e.g. Woburn, Wooburn (the bend of the stream); Woking (the turning at the chink or chine).
WOL (Sclav.),
the ox; e.g. Wolgast (the oxen’s shed); Wohlau (an enclosure for oxen), a town in Prussia which carries on a great trade in cattle; Wollin (the place of oxen), at the mouth of the R. Oder.
WOLSCHA, or OELZA (Sclav.),
the alder-tree; e.g. Wolschau, Wolschen, Wolsching, Wolschinka (the place abounding in alders); the Sclavonic name for the R. Elster is Wolshinka (the river of alders); Oels, in Silesia, on the Oelse (alder-tree stream); Oelsen and Olsenice (the village of alder-trees); Olsnitz (the town on Elster, or alder stream).
WOLV, or WOL,
a prefix sometimes employed with reference to the wolf, as in Wolvesley (the wolves’ island), where a tribute of wolves’ heads was paid annually by the Britons to the Saxons, by order of King Edgar. Sometimes as a contraction for wold (the waste land), as in Wolford, Wolborough, Woldingham, Wooler, and in Woolverton; but it comes often also from a personal name, as in Wolfhamcote, Wulferlow, Wolferton (from Ulp or Wulfhern).
WORTH, or WEORTHING (A.S.),
a farm, manor, or estate, a place warded or protected, A.S. warian (to defend); cognate with the Ger. warid or werder; e.g. Worthing in Sussex, Worthen in Salop, Worthy and Worting in Hants, Worthington in Lancashire (the farm or manor); Highworth (high manor); Kenilworth (the estate of Kenelm); Bosworth (of Bosa); Edgeworth (the estate on the border); Edgeware, anc. Edgeworth, same meaning; Polwarth (the estate on the marshy land), a parish in Berwickshire; Ravenworth (the manor of Hrafen); Rickmansworth (of Rickman); Tamworth (the manor), on R. Tam; Wandsworth, on the R. Wandle; Worksworth (the place near the miner’s works); Chatsworth (the manor in the wood), Celtic coed; Hammersmith, corrupt. from Hermoderworth (the manor of Hermode).
WURZE (Ger.),
WYRT (A.S.),