The story
- Hebrew · derived fromמגדל“tower”
- Ancient Greek · derived fromΜαγδαληνή“woman from Magdala”
- 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 →
Hebrewמגדל all →
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.