-ham

Appendix:Variations of "ham" English Etymology From the convergence of two elements: en enm -ham, enm -hame, from en ang hām home, farm, estate, from en gmw-pro *haim. Cognate with de -heim and nl -hem, and en home 1. en enm -hamme, from en ang hamm enclosure”, often specifically “land enclosed by a river, from the root of en gmw-pro *hammjan to pinch, to hem, to enclose. Pronunciation en /əm/ /həm/ always unstressed UK en LL-Q7979-Soundguys--ham.wav UK en /ˌhæm/ with secondary stress /həm/ /əm/ unstressed US This suffix often triggers a en spelling pronunciation, especially after -t, as in town names like Grantham. When this happens, the /h/ in -ham is no longer pronounced. Suffix Place-name suffix, variously indicating a settlement, farm or enclosure. Derived terms en Related terms en -hampton en -hamsted, en -hamstead, en -hampstead (compare also en homestead) Further reading Key to English Place-names (2005), Institute for Name Studies, University of Nottingham.