Mageddo
/məˈɡɛdoʊ/noun
A historical variant spelling of Megiddo, an ancient fortified city in northern Israel.
Did you know?Mageddo is one of the historical forms behind Armageddon, whose name is generally interpreted as “Mount of Megiddo,” although the ancient name’s deeper origin remains uncertain.
Etymological Timeline
Late Bronze Age
Canaanite
Mgiddo
“The name of an important fortified city in the Jezreel Valley; its original meaning is uncertain.”
Iron Age
Hebrew
מְגִדּוֹ (Megiddo)
“Megiddo, a strategic city repeatedly mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.”
3rd Century BCE–1st Century CE
Greek
Μαγεδδών (Mageddōn)
“A Greek form of the place-name Megiddo.”
Late Antiquity
Greek Christian
Ἁρμαγεδών (Harmagedōn)
“Armageddon, traditionally understood as “Mount of Megiddo” in Revelation 16:16.”
Modern English
English
Mageddo
“A historical or scholarly variant spelling of Megiddo, more commonly known today through the word Armageddon.”
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