Alexandria

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A city located in Egypt, founded by Alexander the Great, known for its historical significance and the ancient Library
2. A prominent city in ancient times, renowned for its cultural and intellectual contributions, especially as a hub of learning
3. A major urban center in the Hellenistic world, celebrated for its diverse population and strategic location along the Mediterranean coast

Etymology: Alexander the Great founded a number of cities that bore his name, and the Egyptian port was the most famous of them. Its name is simply his name with a place-making suffix: "Alexandros" (the Greek name, which combines "alexein," to defend, and "anēr," man, meaning roughly "defender of men") plus "-eia," a Greek ending used to form place names. "Alexandreia" thus meant "the place of Alexander," much as "Antioch" honored Antiochus and "Seleucia" honored Seleucus. The name passed into Latin as "Alexandrea" and then into English through Old English, where it appeared in a form close to the modern one. Over the centuries the word began to refer chiefly to the Egyptian city, a major Hellenistic cultural centre and an early centre of Christianity, rather than to the many other places Alexander's successors named after him. The name also survives as a doublet of "Iskenderun," "Kandahar," and "Alexandretta," which are all descended from the same Greek root.

Synonyms: city