Sabrina

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A female given name of Latin origin often associated with a legendary princess of the River Severn in British folklore; also refers to various cultural works such as films, television shows, and literary characters bearing the name
2. Used primarily as a personal name for girls, linked historically to a mythic river figure and adopted in numerous creative and entertainment contexts worldwide
3. Denoting a proper noun for feminine identification derived from ancient mythological roots related to Celtic rivers, and employed in modern media and storytelling as a character or title designation

Etymology: Sabrina was originally the Latin name for the River Severn, likely a Latinized form of an older Brittonic river name. British legend then invented a person to explain it. In Geoffrey of Monmouth's chronicle, Sabrina is the daughter of King Locrinus and his mistress Estrildis. When Locrinus's jealous wife Gwendolen learns of her, she has the girl thrown into the river, where she drowns and the river takes her name. The legend turned the name into a figure of myth. Writers treated Sabrina as a river nymph, most famously in Milton's masque "Comus", and the name gradually moved from the water into use as a personal name. Later films, television series and literary characters have carried it, but the name's original meaning is still the river.