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You are here: Home / Language / Where does the word “Hamlet” come from and What does Hamlet mean?

Where does the word “Hamlet” come from and What does Hamlet mean?

March 10, 2020 by Karen Hill

Yes, hamlet does mean “a little ham,” but the ham therein has nothing to do with any member of the Sus, or hog, family.

It had originally, that is, to do with members of Homo sapiens, those who, in the times of Alfred the Great, lived in a small collection of cottages, a small village, then called a ham.

The term survives in such place names as Shoreham, East Ham, Oakham, and others.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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