Magdalene
noun
Mag·da·lene
ˈmag-də-ˌlēn 
variants
or less commonly Magdalen
or magdalene
or magdalen
plural Magadelenes also ; Magdalens or ; magdelenes also ; magdalens
1
old-fashioned
: a woman who engages in performing sex acts and especially sexual intercourse in exchange for pay
2
dated
: a house of refuge or reformatory for women who have engaged in performing sex acts and especially sexual intercourse in exchange for pay
Examples of Magdalene in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At Houghton Hall, Dame Magdalene’s sculptures do not just sit on tabletops or in niches or atop a harpsichord.
—
Mitchell Owens, Architectural Digest, 2 Aug. 2024
David Eugene Matthews Age: 75 County of crime: Jefferson
Time on death row: 41 years
Matthews was convicted of murdering his estranged wife and mother-in-law, Mary Matthews and Magdalene Cruse, on June 29, 1981 in Louisville.
—Rachel Smith, The Courier-Journal, 26 July 2024
This crime connects to the trauma in her past: as a teenager she was sent to one of Ireland’s notorious Magdalene Laundries to conceal a pregnancy.
—Vogue, 19 July 2024
June 24, 2024 at 5:45 a.m. EDT Listen 3 min
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Magdalene Taylor writes the Many Such Cases Substack newsletter, where a version of this essay initially appeared.
—Magdalene Taylor, Washington Post, 24 June 2024
The legacy of Ireland’s Magdalene laundries and mother and baby homes — in which women and girls were made to labor without pay, or even surrender their children, often under the direction of nuns — is the subject of two new cinematic productions.
—Amanda Fortini, New York Times, 16 May 2024
The show sets viewers up for crescendos of humor and mystery, including a scattering of real-world details — the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, hints tied to Ireland’s Magdalene asylums.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 May 2024
Mitchell Owens, Architectural Digest, 2 Aug. 2024
David Eugene Matthews Age: 75 County of crime: Jefferson
Time on death row: 41 years
Matthews was convicted of murdering his estranged wife and mother-in-law, Mary Matthews and Magdalene Cruse, on June 29, 1981 in Louisville.
—Rachel Smith, The Courier-Journal, 26 July 2024
This crime connects to the trauma in her past: as a teenager she was sent to one of Ireland’s notorious Magdalene Laundries to conceal a pregnancy.
—Vogue, 19 July 2024
June 24, 2024 at 5:45 a.m. EDT Listen 3 min
Share
Comment
Save
Magdalene Taylor writes the Many Such Cases Substack newsletter, where a version of this essay initially appeared.
—Magdalene Taylor, Washington Post, 24 June 2024
The legacy of Ireland’s Magdalene laundries and mother and baby homes — in which women and girls were made to labor without pay, or even surrender their children, often under the direction of nuns — is the subject of two new cinematic productions.
—Amanda Fortini, New York Times, 16 May 2024
The show sets viewers up for crescendos of humor and mystery, including a scattering of real-world details — the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, hints tied to Ireland’s Magdalene asylums.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Magdalene.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near Magdalene
Cite this Entry
“Magdalene.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Magdalene. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
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