Wellesley

English

Alternative forms

• Wellersley, Wellsley

Etymology

From the name of the town Wells (“springs”) + lēah (“woodland”), thus 'the woodland by the springs'.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (variously) /ˈwɛlɪzli/, /ˈwɛlzli/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Proper noun

Wellesley

1. An English surname.
2. A town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts; named for the estate of local benefactor Horatio Hollis Hunnewell
3. A township in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
4. Ellipsis of Wellesley College.

Derived terms

• Wellesley effect

Descendants

• → Fijian: weleti (literally “papaya”), via a ship named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington that first brought this fruit, see etymology there

  Fijian: leweti (by metathesis)

  Samoan: ʻesi

  Tongan: lesi

Translations

surname

• Russian: Уэ́лсли (ru) (Uélsli)