Etymology

Hants is the abbreviated form of Hampshire. The abbreviated form is derived from the Old English Hantum plus Scir (meaning a district governed from the settlement now known as Southampton) and the Anglo-Saxons called it Hamtunschire. At the time of the Domesday Book (1086) this was compressed to Hantescire.^[1]

1. ↑ “About Hampshire”, in Hantsweb, accessed 8 Sept 2016

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈhænts/
• Rhymes: -ænts