Where does “Alexandria” come from?
Alexandria derives from Latin Alexandrea, from Ancient Greek Ἀλεξάνδρεια, a place name formed from Ἀλέξανδρος meaning "defender of men," from ἀνδρός and ἀνήρ meaning "man," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂nḗr and h₂lek-.
Ancestry of “Alexandria”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | Alexandrea | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | Ἀλεξάνδρεια | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | Ἀλέξανδρος | Alexander |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἀλέξω | to keep off, turn aside; to guard, protect,... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἀνδρός | genitive singular of ἀνήρ; man; of man |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ἀνήρ | man; husband; human being, as opposed to a god |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | *anḗr | — |