Aberdeen

The first element is either Scottish Gaelic aber (“river mouth”) or Pictish aber (“confluence”), both from Proto-Celtic *abū (“river”). The second element is Don (“river in Scotland”) (the site of Old Aberdeen). Written Aberdon circa 1187 and Aberden circa 1214.

The area and town in Hong Kong is named after George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /æbə(ɹ)ˈdiːn/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌæb.ɚˈdin/, (some US cities) /ˈæb.ɚˌdin/

Aberdeen

1. A port city in Aberdeen council area, Scotland, on the North Sea.

   Nickname: the Granite City

2. A council area of Scotland including the city, one of 32 created in 1996.
3. A former county in northeastern Scotland; see Aberdeenshire.
4. A number of places in the United States:
   1. A populated place in Monroe County, Arkansas.
   2. An unincorporated community in Inyo County, California.
   3. An unincorporated community in Palm Beach County, Florida.
   4. A neighbourhood of Peachtree City, Fayette County, Georgia.
   5. A city in Bingham County, Idaho.
   6. An unincorporated community in Cass Township, Ohio County, Indiana.
   7. A census-designated place in Center Township, Porter County, Indiana.
   8. An unincorporated community in Butler County, Kentucky.
   9. A city in Harford County, Maryland, home of the Aberdeen Proving Grounds.
   10. A city, the county seat of Monroe County, Mississippi.
   11. A township in Monmouth County, New Jersey.
   12. A town in Moore County, North Carolina.
   13. A village in Huntington Township, Brown County, Ohio.
   14. A city, the county seat of Brown County, in northeastern South Dakota, United States.
   15. An unincorporated community in Collingsworth County, Texas.
   16. A city in Grays Harbor County, Washington.
   17. An unincorporated community in Lewis County, West Virginia.
5. A community in Nova Scotia.
6. A community in Ontario.
7. A town in Saskatchewan.
8. A settlement in Saint Elizabeth parish, Jamaica.
9. A neighbourhood of Freetown, Sierra Leone.
10. A town in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa.
11. A town in New South Wales.
12. A suburb of Devonport, in northern Tasmania, Australia.
13. An area and town in Southern district, Hong Kong.

    Synonyms: (obsolete) Hong Kong Tsai, Heung Kong Tsai, Little Hong Kong

    • 1985 October 27, Marcia Seligson, “HONG KONG, MADE TO ORDER”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 24 May 2015, Section 10, page 15‎^[2]:

      In Aberdeen, a fishing village of 12,000 fishermen who live on more than 3,000 sampans, we were transported on a rickety sampan through the mazelike sea community; on these modest wooden boats, large families, dogs, the day's catch of drying fish and television antennas all co-exist.

    • 1997 May 4, Keith B. Richburg, “China to Buttress Hong Kong Police -- but to What End?”, in The Washington Post‎^[3], sourced from Washington Post Foreign Service, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 09 August 1997, page A20‎^[4]:

      Police Launch No. 32 sliced through the murky gray-green waters of Aberdeen, navigating the narrow path between fishing junks, sampan taxis and the gaudy Jumbo floating seafood restaurant.

    • 2015 December 15, Vivienne Zeng, “Infant’s body found floating near Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter”, in Hong Kong Free Press‎^[5], archived from the original on 27 July 2025:

      The corpse of a newborn child was found in waters off the typhoon shelter in Aberdeen on Tuesday morning.

• Definitions 7 and 16 use the US pronunciation.

• (port city in Scotland): Aberdeen cutlet, Aberdeen terrier
• Aberdeenshire
• (area and town in Hong Kong): Aberdeen Island, Aberdeen Channel
• Old Aberdeen

Aberdeen (plural Aberdeens)

1. (usually capitalized) A wide evenly curved fishhook.^[1]
2. (usually capitalized) Alternative form of Aberdeen terrier.

• “Aberdeen, prop.n.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.
• A. D. Mills (2003) A Dictionary of British Place-Names, Oxford University Press, →ISBN
• Saul B. Cohen, editor (2008), “Aberdeen”, in The Columbia Gazetteer of the World‎^[6], 2nd edition, volume 1, New York: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 5, column 3

• Aberdéen (obsolete)

Borrowed from English Aberdeen.

• IPA^(key): /a.bɛʁ.din/

Aberdeen f

1. Aberdeen (a city in Scotland)

• Aberdonien
• aberdonien

Borrowed from English Aberdeen.

• IPA^(key): [ˈɒbɛrdiːn]
• Hyphenation: Aber‧deen
• Rhymes: -iːn

Aberdeen

1. Aberdeen (a port city in Scotland)

Unadapted borrowing from English Aberdeen.

Aberdeen ?

1. Aberdeen (a city in Scotland)