Isaac
/ˈaɪzək/ proper noun
Forms Isaacs
- proper noun (biblical) The son of Abraham and Sarah, father of Esau and Jacob, from whom the Hebrew people trace their descent.
- proper noun A male given name from Hebrew.
- proper noun A surname originating as a patronymic.
- proper noun A local government area in central Queensland, Australia, named after the Isaac River; in full, Isaac Region.
Etymology
From Middle English Ysaac, from Latin Isaac, from Ancient Greek Ἰσαάκ (Isaák), from Hebrew יצחק (Yiṣḥāq, literally “he laughs, he will laugh”). Explained in Genesis as referring to his mother Sarah’s laughing when she was told she would have a son at her old age. The verb is masculine, however, perhaps due to its use as a boy’s name.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “Isaac”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details