Message: "Messalina" - Behind the Name

[Facts] Messalina

by Soul (guest)

9/1/2006, 2:41 PM

Just a quixck question - can anyone tell me the meaning of the name Messalina? This was the name, as many of you probably know, of the infamous wife of the emperor Claudius.

TIA! :-)

#Messalina

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- Cleveland Kent Evans (clevelandkentevans) +1

9/1/2006, 3:38 PM

Messalina is a feminine derivative of the family name Messala. This in turn was originally a nickname given to one of Messalina's ancestors because he had conquered the city of Messana (modern Messina) in Sicily. According to behindthename.com's surnames site, the name of the city goes back to a Greek word for "middle".

http://surnames.behindthename.com/php/browse.php?letter=m

(You find the information under the surname Messana.)

This message was edited 9/1/2006, 3:40 PM

- Soul (guest)

9/2/2006, 1:45 AM

Thank you!

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