Westerbork

Dutch

Etymology

First attested as burch in 1206. Compound of wester (“western, west-”) and either Middle Dutch borg (“castle”) or borg (“type of tree, perhaps a birch”). Compare Borculo, Borgele, Borkel en Schaft, Bulkenaar and Schipborg.

See also Dutch Low Saxon Börk.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˌʋɛs.tərˈbɔrk/, /ˈʋɛs.tərˌbɔrk/
  • Hyphenation: Wes‧ter‧bork
  • Rhymes: -ɔrk, -ɛstərbɔrk

Proper noun

Westerbork n

  1. A village and former municipality of Midden-Drenthe, Drenthe, Netherlands; during World War II a transit concentration camp was located nearby, now the site of a World War II memorial and a radio telescope array.

Usage notes

The local pronunciation of the toponym stresses the final syllable. Outside of the village and its direct environs, the toponym is pronounced with stress on the first syllable.

Derived terms
  • Westerborker
  • Wetserborks

References
  • van Berkel, Gerard, Samplonius, Kees (2018) Nederlandse plaatsnamen verklaard (in Dutch), Mijnbestseller.nl, →ISBN
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