Combe

A combe (/kuːm/; also spelled coombe or coomb and, in place names, comb) can refer either to a steep, narrow valley, or to a small valley or large hollow on the side of a hill;^[1]^[2] in any case, it is often understood simply to mean a small valley through which a watercourse does not run.^[3]^[4]

The word "combe" derives from Old English cumb and is unrelated to the English word "comb".^[5] From Middle English coumbe, cumbe, from Old English cumb, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *kumbaz; compare Dutch kom (“bowl, basin”), German Kump (“vessel”). Related to Welsh cwm (“a hollow valley”), of identical meaning, through Proto-Indo-European *ḱumbʰ-.^[6]

Today, the word is used mostly in reference to the combes of southern^[7] and southwestern England.

Examples

The following is a list places in the British Isles named for having combes:

Addiscombe, in south London
Addiscombe, in the London Borough of Croydon
Alcombe, in Minehead, Somerset
Allercombe, Devon
Ansty Coombe, Wiltshire
Appuldurcombe, on the Isle of Wight
Ashcombe, Devon
Ashcombe, Somerset
Ashcombe, Wiltshire
Awliscombe, Devon
Babbacombe, Devon
Balcombe, West Sussex
Barcombe, East Sussex
Barcombe Cross, East Sussex
Batcombe, Dorset, England (named for Batcombe Down)
Batcombe, Somerset
Battlescombe, Gloucestershire
Batts Combe, Somerset
Beercrocombe, Somerset
Bencombe, Gloucestershire
Bettiscombe, Dorset
Bincombe, Dorset
Black Combe, Cumbria
Bocombe, Devon
Bodmiscombe, Devon
Boscombe, Dorset
Bowcombe, Isle of Wight
Bramblecombe, Dorset
Branscombe, Devon
Brenscombe Heath, Dorset
Brimscombe, Gloucestershire
Brockley Combe, North Somerset
Burcombe, Wiltshire
Burcombe Down, Wiltshire
Burlescombe, Devon
Burrington Combe, North Somerset
Butcombe, Somerset
Castle Combe, Wiltshire
Chacombe, Northamptonshire
Chaffcombe, Somerset
Chalcombe, Northamptonshire
Challacombe, Somerset
Chambercombe, Devon
Charlcombe, Somerset
Chilcombe, Dorset
Combe, Berkshire
Combe, Devon
Combe, Devon
Combe, Herefordshire
Combe, Oxfordshire
Combe Almer, Dorset
Combe Bottom, Surrey
Combe Common, Surrey
Combe Door Top, Glaramara, Cumbria
Combe Down, Somerset
Combe Fishacre, Devon
Combe Florey, Somerset
Combe Gill, Glaramara, Cumbria
Combe Haven, East Sussex
Combe Hay, Somerset
Combe Head, Glaramara, Cumbria
Combe Martin, North Devon
Combe Moor, Herefordshire
Combe Pafford, Devon
Combe Raleigh, Devon
Combe St Nicholas, Somerset
Combe Sydenham, Somerset
Combebow, Devon
Combeinteignhead, Devon
Combpyne, Devon
Combwich, Somerset
Compton, Berkshire
Compton, Devon
Compton, Hampshire
Compton, Isle of Wight
Compton, Surrey
Compton, Surrey
Compton, West Midlands
Compton, West Sussex
Compton Abbas, Dorset
Compton Abdale, Gloucestershire
Compton Bassett, Wiltshire
Compton Beauchamp, Oxfordshire
Compton Bishop, Somerset
Compton Dando
Compton Dundon
Compton Greenfield
Compton Martin
Compton Pauncefoot
Compton Valence
Coombe Bissett
Coombe Dingle, Bristol
Coombe Fields
Coombe Hill
Coombe Hill, a flank of Haddington Hill
Coombe Hill, Buckinghamshire
Coombe Hill, East Sussex
Coombe Hill (Cotswolds), Gloucestershire
Coombe Hill, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire
Coombe Keynes
Coombe, Buckinghamshire
Coombe, Bude
Coombe, Camborne
Coombe, Cornwall
Coombe, Croydon
Coombe, Devon
Coombe, Gloucestershire
Coombe, Hampshire
Coombe, Kent
Coombe, Kingston upon Thames
Coombe, Liskeard
Coombe, London
Coombe, Redruth
Coombe, Sidmouth, Devon
Coombe, Somerset
Coombe, St Austell
Coombe, Taunton, Somerset
Coombe, Teignmouth, Devon
Coombe, Tiverton, Devon
Coombe, Truro
Coombe, Wiltshire
Coombes
Corscombe
Croscombe
Crowcombe
Cutcombe
Danescombe, Cornwall
Doccombe, Devon
Drascombe
Drizzlecombe
Eastcombe, Gloucestershire
Eastcombe, Mendip, Somerset
Eastcombe, Taunton Deane, Somerset
Ellacombe
Ellacombe, Devon
Englishcombe
Faccombe
Farncombe
Flexcombe
Fordcombe
Gatcombe
Gatcombe Park
Goblin Combe
Halecombe
Harptree Combe
Hascombe
Hascombe Hill
Hawkcombe Woods
Hestercombe House
High Wycombe
Higher Melcombe
Holcombe Rogus
Holcombe, Devon
Holcombe, East Devon
Holcombe, Greater Manchester
Holcombe, Somerset
Holcombe, Teignbridge
Hollycombe
Huntercombe
Huntercombe, Slough
Ilfracombe
Letcombe
Luccombe, Isle of Wight
Luccombe, Somerset
Luscombe Castle
Maidencombe, Devon
Maplescombe
Melcombe Regis
Milcombe
Milton Combe
Monkton Combe
Motcombe
Moulsecoomb
Nether Compton
Nettlecombe
Nettlecombe Court
Nettlecombe, Isle of Wight
Nettlecombe, Somerset
Occombe Valley Woods
Odcombe
Oddicombe Beach
Orcombe Point
Overcombe
Over Compton
Parracombe
Pencombe
Peppercombe Castle
Picklecombe Fort
Pincombe Down
Pitcombe
Pitcombe Down
Postcombe
Prescombe Down
Prior's Park & Adcombe Wood
Pyecombe
Ranscombe Farm, Medway
Riddlecombe
River Swincombe
Ruscombe
Saddlescombe
Salcombe
Salcombe Castle
Salcombe Regis
Seacombe
Sedlescombe
Shalcombe
Sheepscombe
Shoscombe
Slewton Combe
Smallcombe
Snorscombe
Stinchcombe
Swanscombe
Swyncombe
Telscombe
Templecombe
The Coombe, Dublin
The Coombes, Hinton Parva
Thorncombe
Timberscombe
Totcombe, Dorset
Uggescombe (hundred)
Ulcombe
Upton Coombe
Warcombe Farm
Welcombe
West Wycombe
Westcombe
Westcombe Park
West Compton
Whitcombe, Dorset
Widcombe, Bath
Widdecombe
Widecombe-in-the-Moor
Winchcombe
Winscombe
Witcombe
Withycombe
Wiveliscombe
Woolacombe
Wycombe
Yarcombe
Yarnscombe

References

^ "Combe". Merriam–Webster's Dictionary. Merriam–Webster. 2011.
^ "Coomb". Webster's New World College Dictionary. Cleveland, Ohio: Wiley Publishing, Inc. 2010.
^ "Combe". Encarta World English Dictionary: North American Edition. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. 2009.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Coomb". Collins Pocket English Dictionary. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-10-18.
^ "Comb". Century Dictionary.
^ Gooden, Phillip (2009). The Story of English. Quercus. p. 22. ISBN 9781847242723. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
^ "Coombe". Compact Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2010. Archived from the original on January 27, 2014. A short valley or hollow on a hillside or coastline, especially in southern England.

[1] "Combe". Merriam–Webster's Dictionary. Merriam–Webster. 2011.

[2] "Coomb". Webster's New World College Dictionary. Cleveland, Ohio: Wiley Publishing, Inc. 2010.

[3] "Combe". Encarta World English Dictionary: North American Edition. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. 2009.^{[permanent dead link]}

[4] "Coomb". Collins Pocket English Dictionary. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-10-18.

[5] "Comb". Century Dictionary.

[6] Gooden, Phillip (2009). The Story of English. Quercus. p. 22. ISBN 9781847242723. Retrieved 27 December 2021.

[7] "Coombe". Compact Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2010. Archived from the original on January 27, 2014. A short valley or hollow on a hillside or coastline, especially in southern England.

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