*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Burn

* The surname is of English origin, variant of Bourne. * The placename in Yorkshire is likely related to the suffix -burn, found in placenames such as Woodburn, Glusburn, etc., from burn (“stream”).

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
name

A village and civil parish in Selby district, North Yorkshire, England (OS grid ref SE5928). · A river in Dartmoor, Devon, England, a tributary of the River Tavy. · A short river in Norfolk, England, which flows into the North Sea. · A river in North Yorkshire, England, a tributary of the River Ure.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

* The surname is of English origin, variant of Bourne. * The placename in Yorkshire is likely related to the suffix -burn, found in placenames such as Woodburn, Glusburn, etc., from burn (“stream”).

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "Bourne",
      "Bourne#English"
    ],
    [
      "-burn",
      "-burn#English"
    ],
    [
      "Woodburn",
      "Woodburn#English"
    ],
    [
      "Glusburn",
      "Glusburn#English"
    ],
    [
      "burn",
      "burn#English:_stream"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A village and civil parish in Selby district, North Yorkshire, England (OS grid ref SE5928).",
        "A river in Dartmoor, Devon, England, a tributary of the River Tavy.",
        "A short river in Norfolk, England, which flows into the North Sea.",
        "A river in North Yorkshire, England, a tributary of the River Ure."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "7c9a1e58f4dffee2ade7c6b0a920debd71afd315ab2a0ec44ef5cf61294ccce3",
      "rawRecordSha256": "1dc8b7d08ef0347ee0388b9ada29a8e088a70228a585a2fce14ca913ae79e575",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6678557
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 1,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Burn →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-QnVybg