Magdalen

Variant of Magdalene

Magdalene definition

Mag·da·lene (mag′də lən, -lin, -lēn′; also, for 2, mag′ də lē′nə)

noun

  1. a feminine name: dim. Lena; var. Madeline, Madelyn
  2. Bible Mary Magdalene: Luke 8:2 (identified with the repentant woman in Luke 7:37)
  3. Archaic a reformed and repentant prostitute
  4. Brit., Archaic a reformatory for prostitutes

Etymology: LL(Ec) < Gr(Ec) Magdalēne, lit., of Magdala, after Magdala, town on the Sea of Galilee

Also Magdalen Mag′·da·len (-lən)

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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