Etymograph

English

Marseille

Marseille comes from French Marseille, and goes back to Ancient Greek Μασσαλία.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEΜασσαλίαMassalía
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEMassilianext step skipped: Arabic مَرْسَى
  3. Frenchc. 1600–presentMarseille
  4. Englishtodaysame form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEΜασσαλίαMassalía
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEMassilianext step skipped: Arabic مَرْسَى
  3. Frenchc. 1600–presentMarseille
  4. Englishtodaysame form

The story

Borrowed from French Marseille (supplanting earlier Marseilles, derived from the Old French nominative form), from Latin Massilia, Marsilia, from Ancient Greek Μασσαλία (Massalía), probably from a pre-Latin language of Italy, perhaps Ancient Ligurian mas (‘spring’). The r was probably retained from Arabic مَرْسَى (marsā, “harbor”).

Every English word from Ancient Greek Μασσαλία

Another origin of Marseille

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEΜασσαλία
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEMassilia
  3. Frenchc. 1600–presentMarseille
  4. Englishtodaysame form

This surname is mostly found in Haiti.

Today it means

name The capital city of Bouches-du-Rhône department, France; the capital city of the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek Μασσαλία / Marseille

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