Winchester

From Middle English Wynchester, Winchestre, from Old English Wintanċeastre, from Latin Venta Belgārum (literally “Venta of the Belgae”), perhaps ultimately from Proto-Celtic *wentā (“town, place”), Proto-Indo-European *h₁wen- (“place (?)”) + Old English ċeastre, from Latin castra (“camp”).

The bottle is named for the former customary units of the English city. The rifle is named named after American businessman Oliver Winchester (1810–1880). The computer disk is named for the rifle.

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɪnt͡ʃɛstə(ɹ)/, /ˈwɪnt͡ʃɪstə(ɹ)/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Winchester

1. A city in and the county town of Hampshire, England.
   1. The City of Winchester, a local government district in Hampshire.
   2. (UK) Ellipsis of Winchester College; a prestigious public school in Winchester.
2. Any of the towns named after it, including:
   1. A number of places in the United States:
      1. A census-designated place in Riverside County, California.
      2. A city, the county seat of Scott County, Illinois.
      3. A city in White River Township, the county seat of Randolph County, Indiana.
      4. An unincorporated community in Van Buren County, Iowa.
      5. A home rule city, the county seat of Clark County, Kentucky.
      6. A town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts.
      7. A township in Norman County, Minnesota, named after Winchester, Iowa.
      8. A census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada.
      9. A township and village therein, in Adams County, Ohio, named after Winchester, Virginia.
      10. An unincorporated community in Bloomfield Township, Jackson County, Ohio.
      11. A ghost town in Worthington Township, Richland County, Ohio.
      12. A city, the county seat of Franklin County, Tennessee.
      13. A city, the county seat of Frederick County, Virginia.
   2. A small town in Timaru District, Canterbury, New Zealand. [1]
3. A habitational surname from Old English.

• Wykehamist

Winchester (plural Winchesters)

1. A Winchester rifle, typically a lever-action repeater.

   Synonym: Win

   • H. Rider Haggard, King Solomon's Mines

     "Give me my express," I said, laying down the Winchester, and he handed it to me cocked.

   • 2008, James M. Smallwood, The Feud That Wasn't, page 167:

     Almost simultaneously Jim Taylor and Kit Hunter shot at each other with Winchesters.

2. A bottle holding a Winchester quart.
3. (computing, dated) A hard disk.

   Synonym: Winchester disk

   • 1984 February 7, PC Mag, volume 3, number 2, page 234:

     And besides, Winchesters of the nonremovable sort work fine—why bother complicating things with cartridges […]

4. (military, aviation) Out of ordinance.

• Win

• French: Bicêtre
• Hungarian: vincseszter
• Russian: винчестер (vinčester)