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
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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
Dictionary Entries Near Magdalene
Cite this Entry
“Magdalene.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Magdalene. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
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