LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
proper noun · femininefirst declension

Massilia

Massilia f sg (genitive Massiliae)
Classical[masˈsɪ.li.a]Ecclesiastical[masˈsiː.li.a]

Meaning

  1. femininesingularMarseille (the capital city of Bouches-du-Rhône department, in modern France; the capital city of the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur)
  2. femininehistoricalsingularMassilia (a city in Gallia Narbonensis, now Marseille)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeMassilia—
genitiveMassiliae—
dativeMassiliae—
accusativeMassiliam—
ablativeMassiliā—
vocativeMassilia—
locativeMassiliae—

Massĭlĭa, ae, f., = Μασσαλία,
I. a celebrated seaport town in Gallia Narbonensis, a colony from Phocæa, and a seat of Greek civilization, now Marseilles, Plin. 3, 4, 5, § 35; cf. Caes. B. C. 2, 1; Cic. Off. 2, 8, 28; id. Fl. 26, 63; id. Font. 1, 3; Sil. 15, 169; Luc. 4, 257 et saep.—Hence,
A. Massĭlĭānus, a, um, adj., of or belonging to Massilia, Massilian: vinum, Mart. 13, 123 in lemm.—
B. Mas-sĭlĭensis, e, adj., of or belonging to Massilia, Massilian: mores, i. e. Sybaritic, luxurious, Plaut. Cas. 5, 4, 1.—In plur. subst.: Massĭlĭenses, ĭum, m., the inhabitants of Massilia, Massilians, Cic. Rep. 1, 27, 43; id. Phil. 2, 37, 94; Caes. B. C. 1, 34 et saep.; transf. for Massilia, Plaut. Men. 2, 1, 10.—
C. Massĭlĭōtĭcus or Massălĭōtĭcus (acc. to the Gr. Μασσαλιωτικός), a, um, adj., of or belonging to Massilia, Massiliotic: ostium Rhodani, Plin. 3, 4, 5, § 33; Mart. Cap. 6, § 635.—
D. Massī^lītānus, a, um, adj., Massilitan; in tmesi: Massili portabant juvenes ad litora tanas, Enn. ap. Donat. p. 1777 P. (Ann. v. 605 Vahl.).—Subst.: Massī^lītāni, ōrum, m., the Massilians, Vitr. 10, 22, 11.—
2. Massĭlĭtānum, i, n., wine of Massilia, Mart. 13, 123 in lemm.

Origins

From Ancient Greek Μασσαλία (Massalía), possibly an Ancient Ligurian toponym or perhaps from Ancient Greek μάσσων (mássōn, “further”) + ἅλς (háls, “sea”), literally “(city) on far end of the sea” cf. Ancient Greek παραλία (paralía).

Descendants
  • EnglishMassilia
  • FrenchMarseille
  • EnglishMarseillefrom French Marseille
  • Englishmarcellafrom French Marseille
  • GermanMarseillefrom French Marseille
  • GermanMassilien
  • ItalianMarsiglia
  • OccitanMarselha
  • PortugueseMarselha
  • SpanishMarsella

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

GeographyMassiliaMassilia (Μασσαλία: Eth. Μασσαλιώτης, Eth. Μασσαλιήτης, Eth. Μασσαλιεύς, in the feminine, Μασσαλιῶτις, Eth. Massiliensis: the modern name, Marseille, …

Quick answers

What does Massilia mean in Latin?
Massilia, a proper noun, means “Marseille (the capital city of Bouches-du-Rhône department, in modern France; the capital city of the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur); Massilia (a city in Gallia Narbonensis, now Marseille)”.
What is the genitive of Massilia?
The genitive singular is Massiliae. Massilia is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce Massilia?
In classical Latin, [masˈsɪ.li.a]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [masˈsiː.li.a].