2776: Bruxelles: Why an X? Jul 27, 2024

The spelling of "Bruxelles," the French name for the capital of Belgium, with an 'x' instead of a 'ss' as used in Dutch, and as result, English, stands out, especially since French typically doesn't use 'x' in this context. The name ‘Bruxelles’ originates from the Old Dutch ‘Broekzele’ meaning "settlement in the marsh." Over time, as the region became more influenced by French, the name adapted to fit French phonetics and orthographic norms, except in this case it was not per se to fit French as we know it now, where it is usually pronounced like /s/ in the city’s name.

During the Middle Ages, Latin was the lingua franca of educated and administrative classes in Europe. Latin texts often used 'x' to denote the sound /ks/, a practice that influenced many Romance languages. This influence is visible in the spelling of place names as Latin transitioned into Old French. The '-zele' part of the word Old Dutch name likely shifted to '-xelles' under the influence of Latin orthography, where the 'x' was used to represent a combination of sounds that was easier for Latin speakers to write and recognize without assuming a glottal stop. It used to be pronounced [bʁyksɛl] in French more commonly, but now it is not so common.