Houtdijken

Dutch

Etymology

First attested as hofdijc and in den hofdijc in 1307. Initially a compound of Middle Dutch hof (“homestead, farmstead”) or hovet (“head”) and dijc (“levee”). The toponym was gradually reinterpreted to a compound of hout (“wood”) and dijk (“levee”), referring here to a levee constructed with wooden stakes, poles or screens. The plural form of the toponym refers to the two sections of the hamlet.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: Hout‧dij‧ken

Proper noun

Houtdijken n

1. A hamlet in Woerden, Utrecht, Netherlands.

Derived terms

• Kamerik-Houtdijken

References

• van Berkel, Gerard, Samplonius, Kees (2018) “houtdijken”, in Nederlandse plaatsnamen verklaard‎^[1] (in Dutch), Mijnbestseller.nl, →ISBN