Cholmondeley
Cholmondeley is the name of a masculine character in a book I'm reading. I know that it is an English name and according to Wikipedia it is "the word in the English language with the most silent and/or superfluous letters. The silent letters are, in order, 'l', 'o', 'n', 'd', 'e', and 'e' again. The first 'o' is not silent, but is pronounced as a 'u'." So apparently it's is pronounced like Chumly.
Cholmondeley seems to be more of a surname but if anyone has an information about Cholmondeley, it's meaning in particular, and it's use as a forename it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance,
Laurie :)
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This message was edited 12/11/2006, 4:28 PM

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It's originally a surname from a place name in Cheshire, England, and according to Hanks & Hodges' A Dictionary of Surnames, the place name meant "Ceolmund's clearing". Ceolmund was an Old English given name formed from words meaning "ship" and "protection". Though like most British surnames Cholmondeley may have been really used as a given name on rare occasions, I think that this one, like Murgatroyd, probably turns up more often for comic and cartoon characters than it does for real people. :)
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Thanks Dr. Evans! I knew someone would have the answer!
Both Cholmondeley and Murgatroyd remind me a bit of Heathcliff, those sort of names that seem to more often appear in fiction than in reality. Thanks again,
Laurie :) Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

This message was edited 12/12/2006, 5:20 PM

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