Etymology

magdalene

Mag·de·lin
M3A1G2D2A1L1E1N1E1

Today it means: A reformed prostitute. Full definition →

Ancient Greek Μαγδαληνή ← Hebrew מגדל
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The story

  1. Hebrew · derived fromמגדל“tower”
  2. Ancient Greek · derived fromΜαγδαληνή“woman from Magdala”
  3. English todayMagdalene

From Ancient Greek Μαγδαληνή (Magdalēnḗ, “woman from Magdala”), byname of the biblical Mary Magdalene, "Mary of Magdala", from Μαγδαλά (Magdalá), the name of a village on Lake Galilee (the name of which derives from Hebrew מגדל (migdál, “tower”)). Generic use comes from the traditional association of Mary Magdalene with the "woman which was a sinner" mentioned in Luke 7:37. Doublet of Madeleine, Magdalen, Magdalena, and Maudlin.

Words from the same roots

Ancient GreekΜαγδαληνή all →

Madeline

Hebrewמגדל all →

migdal

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.