alexandria

Etymology

From Middle English Alexandria, from Old English Alexandria, from Latin Alexandrīa, from Ancient Greek Ἀλεξάνδρεια (Alexándreia), from Ἀλέξανδρος (Aléxandros, “Alexander”) + -εια (-eia, “-ia: forming place names”), initially chiefly places founded by Alexander the Great of Macedonia and subsequently usually with reference to Alexandria in Egypt, a major Hellenistic cultural center, center of early Christianity, and continuing major international port. Compare Antioch, Seleucia, and Ptolemais. Doublet of Kandahar, Iskenderun, Scandaroon, and Alexandretta.