A combe (; also spelled coombe or coomb and, in place names, comb) can refer either to a steep, narrow
valley, or to a small valley or large hollow on the side of a hill; in any case, it is often understood simply to mean a small valley through which a
watercourse ''does not'' run. The word "combe" derives from Old English ''cumb'', of the same meaning, and is unrelated to the English word "
comb". It derives ultimately from the same
Brythonic
Brittonic or Brythonic may refer to:
*Common Brittonic, or Brythonic, the Celtic language anciently spoken in Great Britain
*Brittonic languages, a branch of the Celtic languages descended from Common Brittonic
*Britons (Celtic people)
The Br ...
source as the
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...
''
cwm'', which has the same meaning. Today, the word is used mostly in reference to the combes of southern
[
]
and southwestern
England.
Examples
The following is a list places in the
British Isles named for having combes:
References
{{reflist
Valleys
Slope landforms