Joseph
UK /ˈd͡ʒəʊzɪf/ · US /ˈd͡ʒoʊsəf/ proper noun, noun
Forms Josephs Jos.
- proper noun (biblical) Eleventh and favorite son of Jacob, by his wife Rachel.
- proper noun (Christianity) The husband of Mary, mother of Jesus.
- proper noun (Islam) The 12th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.
- proper noun (Christianity) Joseph of Arimathea; man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus.
- proper noun A male given name from Hebrew.
- proper noun An English surname originating as a patronymic.
- proper noun A French surname originating as a patronymic.
- proper noun A city in Wallowa County, Oregon; named for Nez Perce chief Hinmatóowyalahtq̓it (called "Chief Joseph" in English).
- noun One whose chastity is above temptation.
- noun (humorous, rare, sometimes attributive) A coat or other garment of many colours.
- noun (sometimes capitalised) A woman's riding habit worn in the 18th century with a long cape and buttons running down the front.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English Ioseph, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew יוֹסֵף (Yoséf, literally “(God) shall add”); a son of Jacob. Doublet of Yusuf. Noun sense 1 (“one whose chastity is above temptation”) is a reference to the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife in Genesis 39.
Probably in allusion to Joseph's coat of many colours in Genesis 37:3.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “Joseph”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details