Leiden

Meaning

Proper Noun

• city South Holland (province) Netherlands (country) on the Old Rhine, seat of a famous Dutch university.

Origin

• Borrowed from Dutch Leiden, said to be from Proto-Germanic *līþa- ("canal"). Leiden has historically been associated with the Ancient Rome castellum Lugdūnum Batāvōrum and so it was thought the name Leiden had to be derived from this Latin name. This particular castellum was however closer to the town of Katwijk, whereas the Roman settlement near modern-day Leiden was called Matilo.