Magdeburg
proper noun
- capital city of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈmaɡdəbɜːɡ/ / /ˈmæɡdəbɝɡ/
name
Etymology: From German Magdeburg, from Middle Low German Māgedeborch, Mēgedeborch. Since the Middle Ages interpreted as “maiden-borough”, sometimes specifically related to the Virgin Mary. However, the first component may originally have been the plant name “mayweed”, compare Middle Low German mēgede(blōme) and Old English mæġþe.
- The capital city of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, on the River Elbe.
- The historic German realm centered on the city.
“Since the reign of Charlemagne, this country is divided into High and Low Germany... the provinces of Lower Germany towards the north conſiſt of the Low Country of the Rhine, Triers, Cologn, Mentz, Weſtphalia, Heſſe, Brunſwic, Miſnia, Luſatia, High Saxony upon the Elbe, Low Saxony upon the Elbe, Mecklenburg, Lauenburg, Brandenburg, Magdeburg, and Pomerania.”