Loiner is a
demonym
A demonym (; ) or gentilic () is a word that identifies a group of people (inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place (hamlet, village, town, city, region, province, ...
, describing the citizens of
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
.
The
Rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
club
Leeds Rhinos
The Leeds Rhinos are a professional rugby league club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The club was formed in 1870 as Leeds St John's and play in the Super League, the top tier of English rugby league. They have played home matches at Headi ...
were previously nicknamed the ''Loiners''.
History
While there are several theories, the actual origin of the term remains uncertain.
The three competing theories are:
* Loiner could derive from the name Loidis (in use by the eighth century for the district around modern-day Leeds).
* Another explanation says that in the 19th century there were many yards and closes around Briggate whose back entrances were known as Low Ins or Loins, hence Loiner.
* A third theory is that, in the area of Briggate, locals referred to numerous nearby streets as 'loins’, as a Leeds cognate for the Standard English word 'lanes'. People who gathered in these loins to gossip were therefore termed Loiners.
Dialect
The term ''Leeds Loiner'' was included by
Joseph Wright Joseph Wright may refer to:
*Joseph Wright of Derby (1734–1797), English painter
*Joseph Wright (American painter) (1756–1793), American portraitist
*Joseph Wright (fl. 1837/1845), whose company, Messrs. Joseph Wright and Sons, became the Metro ...
, a native of nearby
Windhill and Wrose
Windhill and Wrose (population 14,541 - 2001 UK census) is a ward within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council in the county of West Yorkshire, England, named after the districts of Windhill and Wrose around which it is drawn.
The ...
, in the ''
English Dialect Dictionary
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
''. The definition was "An inhabitant of Leeds". The entry suggests that the origin is linked to Marsh Lane in Leeds.
[Wright, Joseph (1902), ''The English Dialect Dictionary, being the complete vocabulary of all dialect words still in use, or known to have been in use during the last two hundred years; founded on the publications of the English Dialect Society and on a large amount of material never before printed'', Volume 3 H-L]
References
{{reflist
Demonyms