Magdeburg

Mag·de·burg
M3A1G2D2E1B3U1R1G2
UK/ˈmaɡdəbɜːɡ/US/ˈmæɡdəbɝɡ/

proper noun

The capital city of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, on the River Elbe.

OriginGerman Magdeburg ← Middle Low German Māgedeborch →
Less commonScrabble 16
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

proper noun
  1. The capital city of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, on the River Elbe.
  2. historicalThe historic German realm centered on the city.
    1 more example

    Since the reign of Charlemagne, this country is divided into High and Low Germany... the provinces of Lower Germany towards the north conſiſt of the Low Country of the Rhine, Triers, Cologn, Mentz, Weſtphalia, Heſſe, Brunſwic, Miſnia, Luſatia, High Saxony upon the Elbe, Low Saxony upon the Elbe, Mecklenburg, Lauenburg, Brandenburg, Magdeburg, and Pomerania.

    1759, George Sale et al., The Modern Part of an Universal History, volume XXIX: History of the German Empire, page 2

Origin

  1. Middle Low GermanMāgedeborch
  2. GermanMagdeburg
  3. EnglishMagdeburg

From German Magdeburg, from Middle Low German Māgedeborch, Mēgedeborch. Since the Middle Ages interpreted as “maiden-borough”, sometimes specifically related to the Virgin Mary. However, the first component may originally have been the plant name “mayweed”, compare Middle Low German mēgede(blōme) and Old English mæġþe.

More words from German, Middle Low German

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 馬格德堡 /马格德堡, 馬德堡 /马德堡
  • 馬格德堡 /马格德堡 (Mǎgédébǎo)capital of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
  • 馬德堡 /马德堡capital of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Czech Magdeburk, Magdeburg
  • Magdeburkcapital of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
  • Magdeburgcapital of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Dutch Maagdenburg
  • Maagdenburgcapital of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
French Magdebourg
  • Magdebourgcapital of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
German Magdeburg
  • Magdeburgcapital of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Greek Μαγδεβούργο
  • Μαγδεβούργο (Magdevoúrgo)capital of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Hindi मागदेबुर्ग
  • मागदेबुर्ग (māgdeburg)capital of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Italian Magdeburgo
  • Magdeburgocapital of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Japanese マクデブルク
  • マクデブルク (Makudeburuku)capital of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Korean 마그데부르크
  • 마그데부르크 (Mageudebureukeu)capital of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Lithuanian Magdeburgas
  • Magdeburgascapital of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Polish Magdeburg
  • Magdeburgcapital of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Portuguese Magdeburgo
  • Magdeburgocapital of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Russian Магдебу́рг
  • Магдебу́рг (Magdebúrg)capital of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Spanish Magdeburgo
  • Magdeburgocapital of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Swedish Magdeburg
  • Magdeburgcapital of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Ukrainian Магдебу́рг
  • Магдебу́рг (Mahdebúrh)capital of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Vietnamese Mác-đơ-buốc
  • Mác-đơ-buốccapital of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Cite this entry
APA

Magdeburg. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Magdeburg

MLA

“Magdeburg.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Magdeburg. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Magdeburg,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Magdeburg.

Source: Magdeburg on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.