Added 9 October 2026
hamlet
/ˈhæm.lɪt/ noun
In Latin: vīcus, vīculus Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about hamlet at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A small settlement or a group of houses, often defined as a settlement smaller than a village or town with usually under two hundred people.
- A village that does not have its own church.
- An unincorporated community of whatever size, lacking its own municipal government, but with defined boundaries.
Origin
From Middle English hamlet, hamelet, a borrowing from Old French hamelet, diminutive of Old French hamel, in turn diminutive of Old French ham, of Germanic origin, from Frankish *haim, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *haimaz (whence English home). Equivalent to Middle English ham (“home, village”) + -let (“small”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)