Thessalonica

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US/ˌθɛsələˈnaɪkə/

A form of Thessaloniki — A port city, the capital of Central Macedonia, in northern Greece.

OriginLatin Thessalonīca ← Ancient Greek Θεσσᾰλονῑ́κη →
UncommonScrabble 17
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. alternativeespeciallyhistoricalAlternative form of Thessaloniki: a port city, the capital of Central Macedonia, in northern Greece.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
thessaloniki

Origin

  1. Ancient GreekΘεσσᾰλονῑ́κη
  2. LatinThessalonīca
  3. EnglishThessalonica

Borrowed from Latin Thessalonīca, from Ancient Greek Θεσσᾰλονῑ́κη (Thessălonī́kē), named for Thessalonike daughter of Philip II, half-sister of Alexander the Great, and wife of Cassander of Macedonia, from Θεσσᾰλός (Thessălós, “Thessalian”) + νῑ́κη (nī́kē, “victory”), possibly named for her birth on the anniversary of the Battle of Crocus Field in Thessaly.

More words from Latin, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Thessalonica. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Thessalonica

MLA

“Thessalonica.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Thessalonica. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Thessalonica,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Thessalonica.

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