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Re: Messalina
in reply to a message by Soul
Messalina is a feminine derivative of the family name Messala. This in turn was originally a nickname given to one of Messalina's ancestors because he had conquered the city of Messana (modern Messina) in Sicily. According to behindthename.com's surnames site, the name of the city goes back to a Greek word for "middle". http://surnames.behindthename.com/php/browse.php?letter=m(You find the information under the surname Messana.)

This message was edited 9/1/2006, 3:40 PM

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Thank you!
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