English Explanatory Dictionary

Margaret

English dictionary entry

Meanings

name
  1. A female given name from Ancient Greek.
  2. A river in southwestern Western Australia, presumed named for a cousin of John Garrett Bussell, founder of Busselton. See Margaret River.
  3. A river in Kimberley region, Western Australia, named for its European discoverer's sister-in-law. See Margaret River.
  4. A moon of Uranus, named for a character in Much Ado About Nothing.

Pronunciation

/ˈmɑːɡɹɪt/ /ˈmɑːɡəɹɪt/ /-ət/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Margaret.wav /ˈmɑɹɡɹɪt/ /ˈmɑɹɡəɹɪt/

Word forms

Margaret Margarets

Etymology

From the name of a legendary third century saint, from Middle English Margaret, from Old French Margaret (French Marguerite), from Latin Margarita, from Ancient Greek μαργαρίτης (margarítēs, “pearl”), ultimately from an Indo-Iranian source. The same source, through folk etymology, has produced Old English meregrot (“pearl”, literally “stone or pebble of the sea”), related to Old Saxon merigrita, merigriota (“pearl”), Old High German merigrioz, equivalent to mer- + groat.

Related words

margarine margarita margarite margherita marguerite Daisy moggy Pearl Greta Gretchen Madge Mae Maggie Mags Maisie Margaery Marge Margery Margie Margo Margot Marjorie Marjory May Meg Megan Meggie Megs Peg Peggy Rita

Derived words

Augusta-Margaret Rivers Clee St Margaret Lake Margaret Margaret fish Margaret River Ormesby St Margaret St Margaret St Margaret's at Cliffe St Margaret's Bay Stratton St Margaret Tivetshall St Margaret
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