frankland
frankland Lexical Profile
• noun
British An English surname denoting descent from someone who lived in the territory of the Franks, or historically referring to a freeholder of land.
"Sir Edward Frankland was a prominent nineteenth-century British chemist who helped originate the concept of chemical valency."
Australian A major river in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, famous for the surrounding agricultural area and highly regarded wine-producing region.
American An unrecognized, short-lived United States territory (1784–1789) located in present-day eastern Tennessee, which was originally proposed to be named Frankland before being renamed Franklin.
Word Nuance & Usage
Almost exclusively capitalized as 'Frankland', it is a proper noun most commonly encountered in historical texts regarding early American territorial disputes, or in genealogical and geographical contexts.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from Old English 'Francaland' meaning 'land of the Franks'. In American history, it was proposed as the name for a new territory (meaning 'land of freemen') before it was altered to 'Franklin' to curry favor with Benjamin Franklin.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.