Margaret

Part of speech: noun, proper noun

Definitions

1. A common female given name of English origin often associated with qualities like pearl or purity and used historically in various cultures as a personal identifier
2. A traditional feminine appellation derived from ancient Greek meaning "pearl," frequently used to denote women in English-speaking societies across generations
3. A popular personal name for women originating from a classic term signifying a precious gemstone, commonly found in literature and real life as a marker of individual identity

Etymology: The name Margaret began as a Greek word for a pearl. Ancient Greek "margarítēs" meant "pearl", and it passed through Latin as "Margarita" and then through Old French as "Margaret" (French "Marguerite"). The name took on its religious force from Saint Margaret the Virgin, a third-century saint whose cult spread across medieval Europe and gave the name wide currency. English has a second, rather charming route to the same meaning. Old English "meregrot" meant "pearl" and was built from "mere", meaning sea, and "grot", a small coin or pebble. Literally it was a "stone or pebble of the sea". This compound was a folk-etymological reshaping of the older Greek-derived word, and it shows how speakers remade an unfamiliar foreign term into something built from familiar English parts.

Synonyms: pearl, daisy, queen