The Art of Literary Nomenclature

ORIGIN:
French feminine form of “Caelinus”, meaning “heaven”, or a diminutive of “Marceline”, from Mars, the Roman god of war, or a variation of “Selene”, the name of a Greek moon goddess.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Caelina, Celena, Celene, Celina, Lena, Lina, Marcelina, Marceline, Marcellina, Marcelyn, Selena, Selene, Selina, Seline, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Céline Varens, the French opera-dancer who was Mr. Rochester’s one-time mistress, and mother of Adèle, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.

Tagged: 1840s, C, French