Abraham
UK /ˈeɪ.bɹə.hæm/ · US /ˈeɪ.bɹəˌhæm/ proper noun, noun
Forms Abrahams
- proper noun (Abrahamism) A prophet in the Old Testament, Qur'an and Aqdas; a Semitic patriarch son of Terah who practiced monotheism, father of the Jewish patriarch Isaac by Sarah and the Arab patriarch Ishmael by Hagar.
- proper noun A male given name from Hebrew.
- proper noun A surname originating as a patronymic.
- proper noun The 14th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.
- noun (archaic, British slang, chiefly London) A shop selling cheap and low-quality clothes, especially in the East End of London.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English Abraham, from Old English Abraham, from Late Latin Ābrahām, from Ancient Greek Ἀβρᾱᾱ́μ (Abrāā́m), from Hebrew אַבְרָהָם ('aḇrāhām, “Abraham”). Thomas L. Thompson suggests that the meaning of the name in Genesis was forgotten due to its age and that its original meaning was "Father is exalted." Glossed as אַב (aḇ, “father of”) + הֲמוֹן (hăˈmōn, “multitude of”) in Genesis 17:4–5; or from Hebrew אַבְרָם ('aḇrām, “Abram”). Doublet of Ibrahim, Avraham, Abramo, and Abrahan.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “Abraham”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details