List of English words of Hebrew origin

This is a list of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

words of Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...

origin. Transliterated pronunciations not found in Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster

Merriam–Webster, which was originally the G. & C. Merriam Company of Springfield, Massachusetts, is an American company that publishes reference books, especially dictionaries that are descendants of Noah Webster’s An American Dictionary of the English Language .Merriam-Webster Inc. has been a...

or the American Heritage Dictionary follow Sephardic/Modern Israeli pronunciations as opposed to Ashkenazi pronunciations, with the major difference being that the letter taw

Taw

Taw may refer to:* Taw , the twenty-second letter in many Semitic alphabets* Taw , the collection of all cardinal numbers* the shooter marble in a game of marbles* The River Taw in Devon, England* a method to produce white leather...

(ת) is transliterated as a 't' as opposed to an 's'.

There is a separate list of English words of Semitic origin other than those solely of Hebrew or Arabic origin.

From Hebrew words

abacus

Abacus

The abacus, also called a counting frame, is a calculating tool used primarily in parts of Asia for performing arithmetic processes. Today, abaci are often constructed as a bamboo frame with beads sliding on wires, but originally they were beans or stones moved in grooves in sand or on tablets of...

: from Greek ἀβαξ abax 'slab' (MW), probably from אבק abaq 'dust' (AHD)
agora (currency) : from (AHD) אגורה‎ agorah 'small coin' (MW)
aliyah
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...

: from (AHD) עלייה aliyah 'ascent' (MW)
almemar : from אלממר almemar 'bema', from Arabic المنبر al-minbar 'pulpit' (AHD)
aloe
Aloe
Aloe , also Aloë, is a genus containing about 500 species of flowering succulent plants. The most common and well known of these is Aloe vera, or "true aloe"....

: from Greek ἀλόη aloe (AHD) 'dried juice' (MW), from אהלים ahalim 'trees of lign' (SC), perhaps from Dravidian

Dravidian languages

The Dravidian language family includes approximately 85 genetically related languages, spoken by about 217 million people. They are mainly spoken in southern India and parts of eastern and central India as well as in northeastern Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iran, and...

alphabet

Alphabet

An alphabet is a standard set of letters—basic written symbols or graphemes—each of which represents a phoneme in a spoken language, either as it exists now or as it was in the past. There are other systems, such as logographies, in which each character represents a word, morpheme, or semantic...

: perhaps from אלוף alef 'ox', 'leader' (WNW) + from Canaanite alp 'ox' (AHD) + from בית bet 'house', probably from Phoenician (WNW) + from Canaanite bet 'house' (AHD)
amen
Amen
The word amen is a declaration of affirmation found in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Its use in Judaism dates back to its earliest texts. It has been generally adopted in Christian worship as a concluding word for prayers and hymns. In Islam, it is the standard ending to Dua and the...

: from אמן amen (MW) 'certainly', 'verily' (AHD)
apron

Apron

An apron is an outer protective garment that covers primarily the front of the body. It may be worn for hygienic reasons as well as in order to protect clothes from wear and tear. The apron is commonly part of the uniform of several work categories, including waitresses, nurses, and domestic...

: from Latin mappa 'cloth' (MW), probably from menafa 'fluttering banner' (WNW) + perhaps from Carthaginian (AHD)
baal : from בעל ba'al 'lord' (AHD, MW)
babel

Babel (disambiguation)

Babel is the name used in the Hebrew Bible for the city of Babylon.Babel may also refer to:-People:*Isaak Babel, Soviet journalist, playwright, and short story writer*Ryan Babel, Dutch footballer*Markus Babbel, German footballer-Places:...

: from (AHD, MW) בלל balal 'confound' (SC) + in part from Akkadian 𒇷𒄿 𒀊𒁀 bāb-ilu 'gate of god' (MW)
bar mitzvah : from (AHD) בר מצוה bar miswah 'son of the law' (MW)
bath (volume) : from בַּת bath (MW) '10 gallons liquid measure' (AHD)
bat mitzvah : from (AHD) בת מצוה bath miswah 'daughter of the law' (MW)
bdellium

Bdellium

Bdellium is an aromatic gum like myrrh that is exuded from a tree. A medieval Arab writer first made the identification with gum guggul, the species Commiphora wightii, although "bdellium" has also been used to identify the African species C. africana and at least one other Indian species, C....

: from Greek βδέλλιον bdellion (MW), from (AHD) בְּדֹלַח bedolach (WNW) 'pieces' (SC) + from Assyrian 𒁍𒁺𒆷𒄷 budulḥu (WNW)
behemoth

Behemoth

Behemoth is a mythological beast mentioned in the Book of Job, 40:15-24. Metaphorically, the name has come to be used for any extremely large or powerful entity.-Plural as singular:...

: from (MW) בהמות behemot 'beasts' (AHD)
bethel

Bethel (disambiguation)

Bethel, also written as Beth El or Beth-El, was a city described in the Hebrew Bible.Bethel, may also refer to:- People :* Ernest Bethel, British journalist who worked in Korea under Japanese rule...

: from (AHD) ביתאל beth'el 'house of God' (MW)
bethesda (chapel) : (OSPD) from (AHD) Greek Bethesda 'Bethesda

Pool of Bethesda

The Pool of Bethesda is a pool of water in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem, on the path of the Beth Zeta Valley. The Gospel of John describes such a pool in Jerusalem, near the Sheep Gate, which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. It is associated with healing. Until the 19th century, there...

' (WNW), probably from bayith checed 'house of kindness' (SC)
bris : from (WNW) ברית berith 'covenant' (MW)
brith milah : from (WNW) berith milah 'covenant of circumcision' (MW)
brouhaha : perhaps from barukh hab-ba 'blessed be he who comes' (WNW)
byssus

Byssus

Byssus means both a silky filament by which certain molluscs attach themselves to hard surfaces, and a rare fabric, also called sea silk and its fibre source.-Word:...

: from Greek bussos (AHD), perhaps from בוץ buts (WNW) 'linen cloth', from Semitic (MW) *b-w-tz 'to be white' (WNW)
cab (volume) : from (MW) qab 'hollow vessel' (AHD)
cabal

Cabal

A cabal is a group of people united in some close design together, usually to promote their private views and/or interests in a church, state, or other community, often by intrigue...

: from (AHD) קַבָּלָה qabbalah 'received (lore)' (MW)
camel

Camel

A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...

: from Greek κάμηλος kamelos (AHD), from (WNW) גמל gamal 'desert animal' (MW) + from Phoenician (WNW)
camelopard : from Greek κάμηλος kamelos (AHD), from (WNW) גמל gamal 'desert animal' (MW) + from Phoenician (WNW) + from Greek (MW) πάρδος pardos 'large cat', probably from Iranian (AHD)
cane : from Greek κάννα kanna (AHD), from קָנֶה "qaneh" 'tube', 'reed' (WNW) + from Assyrian qanu (WNW), akin to Arabic qanah 'hollow stick', 'reed' (MW)
canella

Canella

Canella is a monospecific genus containing the species Canella winterana, a tree native to the Caribbean from the Florida Keys to Barbados...

: from Greek κάννα kanna (AHD), from קָנֶה "qaneh" 'tube', 'reed' (WNW) + from Assyrian qanu (WNW), akin to Arabic qanah 'hollow stick', 'reed' (MW)
canister : from Greek κάννα kanna (AHD), from קָנֶה "qaneh" 'tube', 'reed' (WNW) + from Assyrian qanu (WNW), akin to Arabic qanah 'hollow stick', 'reed' (MW)
cannelloni

Cannelloni

Cannelloni are a cylindrical type of pasta generally served baked with a filling and covered by a sauce. Some type of cannelloni need to be boiled beforehand, for some others is enough to use runnier sauces/filling....

: from Greek κάννα kanna (AHD), from קָנֶה "qaneh" 'tube', 'reed' (WNW) + from Assyrian qanu (WNW), akin to Arabic qanah 'hollow stick', 'reed' (MW)
cannon

Cannon

A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...

: from Greek κάννα kanna (AHD), from קָנֶה "qaneh" 'tube', 'reed' (WNW) + from Assyrian qanu (WNW), akin to Arabic qanah 'hollow stick', 'reed' (MW)
cannula

Cannula

A cannula or canula is a tube that can be inserted into the body, often for the delivery or removal of fluid or for the gathering of data...

: from Greek κάννα kanna (AHD), from קָנֶה "qaneh" 'tube', 'reed' (WNW) + from Assyrian qanu (WNW), akin to Arabic qanah 'hollow stick', 'reed' (MW)
canon : from Greek κάννα kanna (AHD), from קָנֶה "qaneh" 'tube', 'reed' (WNW) + from Assyrian qanu (WNW), akin to Arabic qanah 'hollow stick', 'reed' (MW)
canyon

Canyon

A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...

: from Greek κάννα kanna (AHD), from קָנֶה "qaneh" 'tube', 'reed' (WNW) + from Assyrian qanu (WNW), akin to Arabic qanah 'hollow stick', 'reed' (MW)
carob-from: חרוב kharuv
challah

Challah

Challah also khale ,, berches , barkis , bergis , chałka , vánočka , zopf and kitke , is a special braided bread eaten on...

: from (AHD) חלה ḥallah 'egg-rich yeast-leavened bread' (MW)
chazan, hazan : from חזן ḥazzan 'cantor' (MW) + in part from Aramaic, both from Akkadian (AHD)
cherub

Cherub

A cherub is a type of spiritual being mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and cited later on in the Christian biblical canons, usually associated with the presence of God...

: from (AHD) כרוב kerubh 'celestial hierarchy angel' (MW)
chick (pea) : from Latin cicer (MW), from kikkar 'circle'
chutzpah

Chutzpah

Chutzpah is the quality of audacity, for good or for bad, but it is generally used negatively. The Yiddish word derives from the Hebrew word , meaning "insolence", "audacity". The modern English usage of the word has taken on a broader meaning, having been popularized through vernacular use in...

: from (AHD) חֻצְפָּה ḥuspah 'supreme self-confidence' (MW)
cider

Cider

Cider or cyder is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from apple juice. Cider varies in alcohol content from 2% abv to 8.5% abv or more in traditional English ciders. In some regions, such as Germany and America, cider may be termed "apple wine"...

: from (AHD) שכר shekhar 'strong drink' (MW)
copacetic : disputed (MW) + perhaps from כל בצדק kol betsedeq 'all with justice' (AHD)
cinnamon

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...

: from קינמון qinnamon 'brown spice' (WNW)
cor (volume), kor (volume) : from kor (AHD, WNW) '100 gallons capacity' (MW)
corban

Korban

The term offering as found in the Hebrew Bible in relation to the worship of Ancient Israel is mainly represented by the Hebrew noun korban whether for an animal or other offering...

: from (AHD) קָרְבָּן qorban 'offering' (MW)
cotton

Cotton

Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....

: from (AHD) Arabic قطن qutun (MW), perhaps from קטן qatan 'small'
cumin

Cumin

Cumin is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to India. Its seeds are used in the cuisines of many different cultures, in both whole and ground form.-Etymology:...

: from Greek (AHD) κύμινον kyminon (MW), perhaps from כמן kammon 'umbel' (WNW), akin to Akkadian kamunu 'carrot family plant' (MW)
date : from (AHD) Greek δάκτυλος daktylos (MW), probably from דֶּקֶל deqel 'palm'
deltoid

Deltoid muscle

In human anatomy, the deltoid muscle is the muscle forming the rounded contour of the shoulder. Anatomically, it appears to be made up of three distinct sets of fibers though electromyography suggests that it consists of at least seven groups that can be independently coordinated by the central...

: from Greek delta (AHD), perhaps from דלת daleth 'door' (WNW), akin to Phoenician dalt 'door' (AHD)
dybbuk

Dybbuk

In Jewish folklore, a dybbuk is a malicious or malevolent possessing spirit believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person.Dybbuks are said to have escaped from Sheol or to have been turned away for serious transgressions, such as suicide, for which the soul is denied entry...

: from דיבוק dibbuq 'wandering soul' (AHD, MW)
earnest (money)

Earnest payment

An earnest payment is a deposit towards the purchase of real estate or publicly tendered government contract made by a buyer or registered contractor to demonstrate that he/she is serious about wanting to complete the purchase...

: from (MW, AHD) ערב arav 'pledge' (WNW) + from Canaanite irrabon 'pledge', 'surety' (AHD)
edenic
Garden of Eden
The Garden of Eden is in the Bible's Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man, Adam, and his wife, Eve, lived after they were created by God. Literally, the Bible speaks about a garden in Eden...

: from (WNW) עדן eden 'delight' (AHD)
ephah

Ephah

Ephah was one of Midian's five sons as listed in the Hebrew Bible. The son of Abraham, Midian's five sons were Ephah, Epher, Enoch, Abida, and Eldaah...

: from (AHD) איפה epha '1/10 homer dry measure', from Egyptian (MW)
galilee

Galilee (church architecture)

A galilee is a chapel or porch at the west end of some churches where penitents waited before admission to the body of the church and where clergy received women who had business with them....

: from Latin galilaea (AHD, MW), from גליל galiyl 'circle', 'circuit' (SC)
ganef : from (AHD) גנב gannabh 'thief' (MW)
gerah

Gerah

A gerah Hebrew "גרה" is an ancient Hebrew unit of weight and currency. One gerah is one-twentieth of a shekel. A shekel being 180 barleycorns or 60 carob divided by 20 = 3 carob. This is 0.568 grams....

: from (MW) גרה gera 'grain', 'bean' (AHD)
get (divorce document)

Get (divorce document)

A is a divorce document, which according to Jewish Law, must be presented by a husband to his wife to effect their divorce. The essential text of the is quite short: "You are hereby permitted to all men," i.e., the wife is no longer a married woman, and the laws of adultery no longer apply...

: from גט get 'document of release' (MW)
golem

Golem

In Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material in Psalms and medieval writing....

: from גולם golem (AHD) 'shapeless mass' (MW)
goy

Goy

is a Hebrew biblical term for "nation". By Roman times it had also acquired the meaning of "non-Jew". The latter is also its meaning in Yiddish.-In Biblical Hebrew:...

: from גוי goy 'nation' (AHD, MW)
gun moll

Gun moll

Gun moll is a term that refers to the female companion of a male professional criminal. In some contexts, gun moll more specifically suggests that the woman handles a firearm....

: from (AHD) גנב gannabh 'thief' (MW) + from מִרְיָם Miryam (AHD) 'Miriam' (MW, OED) (='rebelliously') (SC) + perhaps from Egyptian (HH)
habdalah : from (AHD) habhdalah 'separation' (MW)
haftarah

Haftarah

The haftarah or haftoroh is a series of selections from the books of Nevi'im of the Hebrew Bible that is publicly read in synagogue as part of Jewish religious practice...

, haphtarah : from (MW, WNW) patar 'separate', 'discharge' (AHD)
haggadah : from (AHD, MW) heged 'a saying' (WNW)
halacha : from הלכה halakhah 'way' (MW)
hallelujah

Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Halleluyah, and the Latin form Alleluia are transliterations of the Hebrew word meaning "Praise Yah". The last syllable is from the first two letters of the name of God, YHWH, written JHVH in Latin). Hallelujah is found primarily in the book of Psalms...

, alleluia

Alleluia

The word "Alleluia" or "Hallelujah" , which at its most literal means "Praise Yah", is used in different ways in Christian liturgies....

: from הללויה halleluyah 'praise the

Yahweh

Yahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...

' (AHD, MW)
halutz : from hlc 'be in the vanguard' (WNW)
hebraize

Hebraization of English

The Hebraization of English is the use of the Hebrew alphabet to write English. Because Hebrew uses an abjad, it can render English words in multiple ways. There are many uses for hebraization, which serve as a useful tool for Israeli learners of English by indicating the pronunciation of...

: from (MW) עברי ibri (AHD) 'region across [descendant]' (SC)
heder : from חדר hedher 'room' (MW)
homer (volume) : from (AHD, MW) חמר‎ hamar 'surge up', 'swell up' (WNW)
hora : from הוֹרָה horah 'circle dance of Romania and Israel', from Romanian horă (MW), from Turkish hora, perhaps from Greek χορός khoros 'round dance' (AHD)
hosanna

Hosanna

Hosanna is a liturgical word in Judaism and Christianity. In Judaism, it is always used in its original Hebrew form, Hoshana.- Etymology :The word hosanna is etymologically derived from the Hebrew , ...

: from (AHD) hoshi'ah-nna 'save please' (MW)
hyssop

Hyssop

Hyssop is a genus of about 10-12 species of herbaceous or semi-woody plants in the family Lamiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to central Asia. They are aromatic, with erect branched stems up to 60 cm long covered with fine hairs at the tips. The leaves are narrow oblong, 2–5 cm...

: from Greek (AHD) ὕσσωπος hyssopos (MW), from אזוב ezobh 'mint herb' (WNW)
iotacism

Iotacism

Iotacism is the process by which a number of vowels and diphthongs in Ancient Greek converged in pronunciation so that they all sound like iota in Modern Greek....

: perhaps from yodh 'hand' (WNW) + from Phoenician (AHD)
jew (verb) : from (WNW) יהודה yehuda (AHD) 'celebrated' (SC)
jot : perhaps from yodh 'hand' (WNW) + from Phoenician (AHD)
jubilee : from (AHD) יובל yobhel

Jubilee (Biblical)

The Jubilee year is the year at the end of seven cycles of Sabbatical years , and according to Biblical regulations had a special impact on the ownership and management of land in the territory of the kingdoms of Israel and of Judah; there is some debate whether it was the 49th year The Jubilee...

'ram's horn' (MW)
judas : from (MW) יהודה yehuda (AHD) 'celebrated' (SC)
kabbalah

Kabbalah

Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...

, cabala : from (AHD) קַבָּלָה qabbalah 'received (lore)' (MW)
kaddish

Kaddish

Kaddish is a prayer found in the Jewish prayer service. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the liturgy different versions of the Kaddish are used functionally as separators between sections of the service...

: from (AHD, MW) kds 'sanctify' (WNW)
kashrut

Kashrut

Kashrut is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér , meaning "fit" Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus) is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha (Jewish law) is termed...

: from (AHD, MW) כשר ksr 'be appropriate' (WNW)
kibbutz

Kibbutz

A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...

: from קיבוץ qibbuṣ (MW) 'gathering' (AHD)
kibitz : from Yiddish קיבעצן kibetsn (MW), from German gibitz 'peewit' (AHD) + in part from קבץ qabazh 'grasp', 'collect'
kibosh : disputed (AHD, MW) + perhaps from כבש kabash 'tread down', 'disregard'
kiddush

Kiddush

Kiddush , literally, "sanctification," is a blessing recited over wine or grape juice to sanctify the Shabbat and Jewish holidays.-Significance:...

: from (AHD) qiddush 'sanctification' (MW)
klezmer

Klezmer

Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...

: from (AHD) כלי זמר keley zemer 'musical instruments' (MW)
knesset

Knesset

The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...

: (OSPD) from kanas 'assemble' (AHD, WNW)
kosher : from (AHD, MW) כשר ksr 'be appropriate' (WNW)
lambdacism : perhaps from lamedh 'whip, 'club' (WNW) + from Phoenician (AHD)
lambdoid : perhaps from lamedh 'whip, 'club' (WNW) + from Phoenician (AHD)
lehayim

Chayyim

Chayyim , also transcribed as Haim, Hayim, Haymi, Chaim is a name of Hebrew origin; It comes from a word meaning "life". Its first usage can be traced to Middle Ages. It is a popular name amongst Jewish people. The feminine form for this name is Chaya. "Chai" is the Hebrew word for "life"...

: (OSPD) from l'chaim 'to life' (WNW)
leviathan

Leviathan

Leviathan , is a sea monster referred to in the Bible. In Demonology, Leviathan is one of the seven princes of Hell and its gatekeeper . The word has become synonymous with any large sea monster or creature...

: from (AHD) לויתן liwyathan 'sea monster, whale' (MW)
macabre

Macabre

In works of art, macabre is the quality of having a grim or ghastly atmosphere. Macabre works emphasize the details and symbols of death....

: from French (danse) macabre (AHD, MW), probably from Latin (Chorea) Machabaeorum, from מקבה maqqaba 'hammer' (WNW), from נקב naqab 'perforate' (SC)
madeleine

Madeleine (disambiguation)

Madeleine or Madeline is a female name. See Madeleine . It means "woman of Magdala," or "magnificent." It can be shortened into "Maddie" or "Maddy" or "Maddi." It may also refer to:...

: from (NI) Greek Μαγδαλα 'Magdala

Magdala

Magdala is the name of at least two places in ancient Israel mentioned in the Jewish Talmud and one place that may be mentioned in the Christian New Testament...

' (WNW) (='tower'), perhaps from גדל gadal 'large' (SC) + from (MW) Aramaic Magdela 'Magdala

Magdala

Magdala is the name of at least two places in ancient Israel mentioned in the Jewish Talmud and one place that may be mentioned in the Christian New Testament...

' (OED) (='tower') (SC)
maftir

Maftir

Maftir properly refers to the last person called to the Torah on Shabbat and holiday mornings: this person also reads the haftarah portion from a related section of the Nevi'im ....

: (OSPD) from maphtir 'one that dismisses' (NI)
magdalen

Magdalen Asylum

Magdalene asylums were institutions from the 18th to the mid-20th centuries ostensibly for "fallen women", a term used to imply sexual promiscuity....

: from (MW) Greek Μαγδαλα 'Magdala

Magdala

Magdala is the name of at least two places in ancient Israel mentioned in the Jewish Talmud and one place that may be mentioned in the Christian New Testament...

' (WNW) (='tower'), perhaps from גדל gadal 'large' (SC) + from (MW) Aramaic Magdela 'Magdala

Magdala

Magdala is the name of at least two places in ancient Israel mentioned in the Jewish Talmud and one place that may be mentioned in the Christian New Testament...

' (OED) (='tower') (SC)
mahzor

Mahzor

The mahzor is the prayer book used by Jews on the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Many Jews also make use of specialized mahzorim on the three "pilgrimage festivals" of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot...

: from (AHD) hzr 'return' (WNW)
manna

Manna

Manna or Manna wa Salwa , sometimes or archaically spelled mana, is the name of an edible substance that God provided for the Israelites during their travels in the desert according to the Bible.It was said to be sweet to the taste, like honey....

: from מן man (AHD, MW) (SC)
map

Map

A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, regions, and themes....

: from Latin mappa 'cloth' (MW), probably from menafa 'fluttering banner' (WNW) + perhaps from Carthaginian (AHD)
matzo

Matzo

Matzo or matzah is an unleavened bread traditionally eaten by Jews during the week-long Passover holiday, when eating chametz—bread and other food which is made with leavened grain—is forbidden according to Jewish law. Currently, the most ubiquitous type of Matzo is the traditional Ashkenazic...

: from (AHD) משה massah 'unleavened bread' (MW)
maudlin

Maudlin

Maudlin may refer to*Excessively sentimental*Maudlin, Cornwall*Maudlin, Dorset*Maudlin, West Sussex*Magdalene College, Cambridge*Magdalen College, Oxford...

: from (MW) Greek Μαγδαλα 'Magdala

Magdala

Magdala is the name of at least two places in ancient Israel mentioned in the Jewish Talmud and one place that may be mentioned in the Christian New Testament...

' (WNW) (='tower'), perhaps from גדל gadal 'large' (SC)
maven

Maven

A maven is a trusted expert in a particular field, who seeks to pass knowledge on to others. The word maven comes from Hebrew, via Yiddish, and means one who understands, based on an accumulation of knowledge.-History:...

: from (AHD) מבין mebhin 'one who is experienced' (MW), 'one who understands' (OED)
mazeltov : from (WNW) mazzal tob 'good luck' (AHD)
mazuma : from (WNW) מזומן mezumman 'fixed' (AHD)
megillah : from (MW, WNW) galal 'roll' (AHD)
menorah : from (AHD) מנורה menorah 'candlestick' (MW)
meshuga : from (AHD) משוגע meshugga 'crazy' (MW)
messiah

Messiah

A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...

: from (AHD) משיח mashiah 'anointed' (MW) + in part from Aramaic (AHD) meshiha 'anointed' (MW)
mezuzah

Mezuzah

A mezuzah is usually a metal or wooden rectangular object that is fastened to a doorpost of a Jewish house. Inside it is a piece of parchment inscribed with specified Hebrew verses from the Torah...

: from מְזוּזָה ‎mezuzah 'doorpost' (AHD, MW)
midrash

Midrash

The Hebrew term Midrash is a homiletic method of biblical exegesis. The term also refers to the whole compilation of homiletic teachings on the Bible....

: from (AHD) מדרש midhrash 'exposition', 'explanation' (MW)
mikvah

Mikvah

Mikveh is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism...

: from miqwah 'purification bath' (AHD)
minyan

Minyan

A minyan in Judaism refers to the quorum of ten Jewish adults required for certain religious obligations. According to many non-Orthodox streams of Judaism adult females count in the minyan....

: from מִנְיָן minyan 'number', 'count' (MW), from Aramaic (AHD)
mitzvah

Mitzvah

The primary meaning of the Hebrew word refers to precepts and commandments as commanded by God...

: from (AHD) מצוה miṣwah 'commandment' (MW)
mohel

Mohel

A mohel is a Jewish person trained in the practice of brit milah "covenant of circumcision."-Etymology of the Hebrew and Aramaic term:...

: from מוהל mohel 'person qualified to perform circumcision

Circumcision

Male circumcision is the surgical removal of some or all of the foreskin from the penis. The word "circumcision" comes from Latin and ....

' (WNW)
momser

Mamzer

The Hebrew noun mamzer in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish religious law, is a person born from certain forbidden relationships, or the descendant of such a person. A mamzer is someone who is either born of adultery by a married woman, or born of incest , or someone who has a mamzer as a parent...

: from momser 'bastard' (WNW)
mishpachah : from mishpahah 'family', 'clan' (NI)
moshav

Moshav

Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah...

: from (AHD) מוֹשָׁב moshabh 'dwelling' (MW)
nabla

Nabla symbol

right|thumb|256px|The [[harp]], the instrument after which the nabla symbol is namedNabla is the symbol \nabla . The name comes from the Greek word for a Hebrew harp, which had a similar shape. Related words also exist in Aramaic and Hebrew. The symbol was first used by William Rowan Hamilton in...

: probably from nebhel 'harp' (NI)
nachas

Yiddish words used by English-speaking Jews

Yiddish words may be used in a primarily English language context. An English sentence that uses these words sometimes is said to be in Yinglish, however the primary meaning of Yinglish is an anglicism used in Yiddish....

: from nach 'rest' (WNW)
napkin

Napkin

A napkin, or face towel is a rectangle of cloth used at the table for wiping the mouth while eating. It is usually small and folded...

: from Latin mappa 'cloth' (MW), probably from menafa 'fluttering banner' (WNW) + perhaps from Carthaginian (AHD)
nebel : from nebhel 'harp' (NI)
omer : from עמר omer (AHD) '1/10 ephah dry capacity' (MW)
parashah : from parashah 'explanation' (MW, WNW)
pascal

Pascal (unit)

The pascal is the SI derived unit of pressure, internal pressure, stress, Young's modulus and tensile strength, named after the French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer, and philosopher Blaise Pascal. It is a measure of force per unit area, defined as one newton per square metre...

: from 'Pascal

Blaise Pascal

Blaise Pascal , was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Catholic philosopher. He was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen...

' (AHD, MW), from פסח pesah 'passover

Passover (disambiguation)

Passover may mean:* Passover, one of the Torah / biblical Jewish holidays.* Korban Pesach, the Passover sacrifice* Passover and Easter* Passover , the first episode of the second season of the HBO, BBC and RAI TV-series Rome...

' (AHD, MW, OED)
paschal : from פסח על pasah al 'passed over

Passover (disambiguation)

' (AHD, MW, OED)
pharaoh

Pharaoh

Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...

: from פרעה par'oh 'ruler of ancient Egypt', from Egyptian (MW) O1:O29 pr-'o 'great house' (AHD)
pharisee : from Aramaic (AHD) perisha 'separated', from (MW) פרש parash 'separate' (SC), 'cleave' (WNW)
pita

Pita

Pita or pitta is a round pocket bread widely consumed in many Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Balkan cuisines. It is prevalent in Greece, the Balkans the Levant, the Arabian Peninsula and Turkey. The "pocket" in pita bread is created by steam, which puffs up the dough...

: from pita 'hollow flat bread' (WNW) + from Greek (AHD, WNW)
rabbi

Rabbi

In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...

: from (AHD, WNW) רב rabh 'master' (MW)
rebbe

Rebbe

Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...

: from (AHD, WNW) רב rabh 'master' (MW)
rebbetzin

Rebbetzin

Rebbitzin or Rabbanit is the title used for the wife of a rabbi, typically from the Orthodox, or Haredi, and Hasidic Jewish groups...

: from (WNW) רב rabh 'master' (MW)
rhotacism

Rhotacism

Rhotacism refers to several phenomena related to the usage of the consonant r :*the excessive or idiosyncratic use of the r;...

: perhaps from rosh 'head' (WNW) + from Phoenician (AHD)
sabbatical : from (MW) שׁבת sabbat 'day of rest' (AHD)
sabra : from (AHD) sabhar 'prickly pear' (MW)
sac : from Greek σάκκος sakkos (MW), perhaps from שק saq 'bag', 'sackcloth' (OED), from Phoenician, akin to Akkadian saqqu (AHD)
sack : from Greek σάκκος sakkos (MW), perhaps from שק saq 'bag', 'sackcloth' (OED), from Phoenician, akin to Akkadian saqqu (AHD)
sapphire

Sapphire

Sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide , when it is a color other than red or dark pink; in which case the gem would instead be called a ruby, considered to be a different gemstone. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, or chromium can give...

: from (MW) ספיר sappir 'precious stone' (AHD), perhaps from Sanskrit

Sanskrit

Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

शनिप्रिय sanipriya 'sacred to Sani

Shani

Sanskrit Śhani शनि, Kannada Śhani ಶನಿ ದೇವರು,Shani/Sani , is one of the Navagraha or Jyotiṣa . Shani is embodied in the planet Saturn and is the Lord of Saturday....

'
satanic

Satanism

Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...

: from שטן satan 'adversary' (MW), 'devil' (AHD)
schmooze : from (AHD) שמועות shemu'oth 'news', 'rumor' (MW)
schwa

Schwa

In linguistics, specifically phonetics and phonology, schwa can mean the following:*An unstressed and toneless neutral vowel sound in some languages, often but not necessarily a mid-central vowel...

: from שוא schewa 'unstressed

Unstressed vowel

In English, vowel reduction is the centralization and weakening of an unstressed vowel, such as the characteristic change of many vowels at the ends of words to schwa. Stressed vowels are never reduced in English.-Reduced vowels :...

mid-central vowel' (MW), probably from Syriac ܥܗܘܐܝܝܐ sewayya 'equal' (AHD)
seder

Passover Seder

The Passover Seder is a Jewish ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted on the evenings of the 14th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, and on the 15th by traditionally observant Jews living outside Israel. This corresponds to late March or April in...

: from (AHD) סדר sedher 'order' (MW)
selah

Selah

Selah is a word used frequently in the Hebrew Bible, often in the Psalms, and is a difficult concept to translate. It is probably either a liturgico-musical mark or an instruction on the reading of the text, something like "stop and listen"...

: from (AHD) סֶלָה selah (MW) 'suspension', 'pause' (SC)
seraph

Seraph

A seraph is a type of celestial being in Judaism and Christianity...

: from (MW) שׂרף sarap 'celestial being' (AHD)
shadchan

Shadchan

Shadchan is a Hebrew word for matchmaker.The word Shadchan often refers to Shadchonim or people who carry out Shidduchim as a profession within the Orthodox community. However, Shadchan can also be used to refer to anyone who introduces two single Jews to one another with the hope that they will...

: (OSPD) from shiddekh 'arrange a marriage' (NI)
shadrach : (OSPD) from (AHD) shadrach 'captive' (WNW)
shalom

Shalom

Shalom is a Hebrew word meaning peace, completeness, and welfare and can be used idiomatically to mean both hello and goodbye...

: from (AHD) שָׁלוֹם shalom 'peace' (MW)
shalom aleichem

Shalom aleichem

Shalom aleikhem is a greeting version in Hebrew, literally meaning "peace be upon you". The appropriate response is "aleikhem shalom", or "upon you be peace"....

: from (AHD) שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם shalom 'alekhem 'peace unto you' (MW)
shammes : from (AHD) שמש shammash 'sexton' (MW)
shamus : perhaps from (AHD) שמש shammash 'sexton' (MW)
shegetz

Shegetz

Shegetz is a Yiddish word that has entered English to refer to a non-Jewish boy or young man...

: from (AHD) שקץ sheqes 'blemish', 'abomination' (MW)
shekel

Shekel

Shekel , is any of several ancient units of weight or of currency. The first usage is from Mesopotamia around 3000 BC. Initially, it may have referred to a weight of barley...

: from (MW) שקל saqal 'weigh', from Canaanite tql (AHD)
sheol

Sheol

Sheol |Hebrew]] Šʾôl) is the "grave", "pit", or "abyss" in Hebrew. She'ol is the earliest conception of the afterlife in the Jewish scriptures. It is a place of darkness to which all dead go, regardless of the moral choices made in life, and where they are "removed from the light of God"...

: (OSPD) from se'ol 'underworld' (AHD), perhaps from shaal 'dig' (WNW)
shibboleth

Shibboleth

A shibboleth is a custom, principle, or belief distinguishing a particular class or group of people, especially a long-standing one regarded as outmoded or no longer important...

: from (AHD) שיבולת shibboleth 'stream' (MW), 'ear of grain' (OED)
shiksa

Shiksa

Shiksa or shikse, is a Yiddish and Polish word that has moved into English usage, mostly in North American Jewish culture, as a term for a non-Jewish woman, initially and sometimes still pejorative but now often used satirically...

: from (AHD, WNW) שקץ sheqes 'blemish', 'abomination' (MW)
shivah : from (AHD) shibh'ah 'seven' (MW)
shofar

Shofar

A shofar is a horn, traditionally that of a ram, used for Jewish religious purposes. Shofar-blowing is incorporated in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.Shofar come in a variety of sizes.- Bible and rabbinic literature :...

: from shophar (MW) 'ram's horn' (AHD)
siddur

Siddur

A siddur is a Jewish prayer book, containing a set order of daily prayers. This article discusses how some of these prayers evolved, and how the siddur, as it is known today has developed...

: from סידור siddur 'arrangement' (AHD), 'order' (MW)
sukkah

Sukkah

A sukkah is a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot. It is topped with branches and often well decorated with autumnal, harvest or Judaic themes...

: from סוכה sukkah 'booth', 'shelter' (MW)
sycamine : from (AHD, MW) שִׁקמָה shiqmah 'mulberry tree' (OED)
sycamore

Sycamore

Sycamore is a name which is applied at various times and places to three very different types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms....

: from שקמה shikma 'mulberry' (WNW) + in part from Greek (AHD, WNW) συκόμορος sykomoros 'fig tree', probably of Semitic origin (MW)
tallith : from (MW) tillel 'cover' (AHD)
talmud

Talmud

The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....

ism : from (MW) lamad 'learn' (AHD)
teraph : from (AHD) טרפים teraphim 'household god' (MW)
tom : from (AHD) תאום t'om 'twin' (MW)
torah

Torah

Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...

: from תּוֹרָה tora 'law', 'instruction' (AHD)
tref : from tarap 'tear' (AHD)
tsuris : from (AHD) tsarah 'calamity' (WNW)
tush : from (AHD) תחת tahath 'under', 'beneath' (MW)
tzitzit

Tzitzit

The Hebrew noun tzitzit is the name for specially knotted ritual fringes worn by observant Jews. Tzitzit are attached to the four corners of the tallit and tallit katan.-Etymology:The word may derive from the semitic root N-TZ-H...

, zizith : from (AHD) ציצית sisith 'fringes', 'tassels' (MW)
ulpan

Ulpan

An ulpan is an institute or school for the intensive study of Hebrew. Ulpan is a Hebrew word meaning basically studio or teaching, instruction....

: from alef 'ox', 'leader' (WNW)
yanqui : from 'Yankee

Yankee

The term Yankee has several interrelated and often pejorative meanings, usually referring to people originating in the northeastern United States, or still more narrowly New England, where application of the term is largely restricted to descendants of the English settlers of the region.The...

' (MW), probably from (AHD) יוחנן Yohanan 'John

John (name)

John is a masculine given name in the English language. The name is derived from the Latin Ioannes, Iohannes, which is in turn a form of the Greek , Iōánnēs. This Greek name is a form of the Hebrew name , , which means "God is generous"...

' (MW) (='the is gracious') (HH)
yeshiva

Yeshiva

Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...

: from (AHD) ישיבה yeshibhah 'talmudic school' (MW)
yid

Yid

The word Yid is a slang Jewish ethnonym. Its usage may be controversial in modern English language. It is not usually considered offensive when pronounced , the way Yiddish speakers say it, though some may deem the word offensive nonetheless...

: from יהודה yehuda (AHD) 'celebrated' (SC)
zaddik : from צדיק‎ saddiq 'just', 'righteous' (MW)

From Hebrew names

abelia

Abelia

Abelia is a genus of about 15-30 species and many hybrids in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae Some authors, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, considers Abelia and related genera to belong instead in the segregate family Linnaeaceae, also including such genera as Linnaea, Abelia,...

: from 'Abel

Clarke Abel

Clarke Abel was a British surgeon and naturalist.He accompanied Lord Amherst on his mission to China in 1816-17 as the embassy's chief medical officer and naturalist, on the recommendation of Sir Joseph Banks...

' (AHD, MW), from הבל Hebhel 'Abel' (='emptiness') (SC)
abelian

Abelian group

In abstract algebra, an abelian group, also called a commutative group, is a group in which the result of applying the group operation to two group elements does not depend on their order . Abelian groups generalize the arithmetic of addition of integers...

: from 'Abel' (AHD, MW), from הבל Hebhel 'Abel' (='emptiness') (SC)
abigail

The Scornful Lady

The Scornful Lady is a Jacobean era stage play, a comedy written by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, and first published in 1616, the year of Beaumont's death...

: from (MW) אֲבִיגַיִל (SC) Avigail 'Abigail

Abigail (name)

Abigail is a female given name. The name comes from the Hebrew name אֲבִיגַיִל / אֲבִיגָיִל Avigail, meaning "father rejoice" or "father's joy"....

' (='father of exaltation') (HH)
adam-and-eve : from אדם Adham 'Adam

Adam

Adam is a figure in the Book of Genesis. According to the creation myth of Abrahamic religions, he is the first human. In the Genesis creation narratives, he was created by Yahweh-Elohim , and the first woman, Eve was formed from his rib...

' (MW) (='earth') (HH) + from חוה Hawwah 'Eve

Eve

Eve is the first woman created by God in the Book of Genesis.Eve may also refer to:-People:*Eve , a common given name and surname*Eve , American recording artist and actress-Places:...

' (MW) (='living') (HH)
bedlam : from (AHD, MW) בית לחם Beth Lechem 'Bethlehem

Bethlehem

Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...

' (='house of bread')
bejesus : from (AHD) יֵשׁוּעַ Yeshua 'Jesus' (MW) (='Jehovah

Jehovah

Jehovah is an anglicized representation of Hebrew , a vocalization of the Tetragrammaton , the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible....

-saved') (SC)
benday : from (AHD) Binyamin 'Benjamin

Benjamin

Benjamin was the last-born of Jacob's twelve sons, and the second and last son of Rachel in Jewish, Christian and Islamic tradition. He was the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Benjamin. In the Biblical account, unlike Rachel's first son, Joseph, Benjamin was born in Canaan. He died in Egypt on...

' (MW) (='son of [the] right hand') (SC) + from Old English (AHD, MW)
davit

Davit

A davit is a structure, usually made of steel, which is used to lower things over an edge of a long drop off such as lowering a maintenance trapeze down a building or launching a lifeboat over the side of a ship....

: from (AHD) דָּוִד Dawidh 'David

David (name)

David is a common male given name and surname. The name "David" is derived from the ancient times of Mesopotamia and used as the Biblical Hebrew name דָּוִד , meaning "Beloved". "Dudi" is a common nickname for David in Hebrew, in the same way Dave and Davy are in English.The Arabic and Assyrian...

' (MW) (='loving') (SC)
hamantasch

Hamantasch

A hamantash is a pastry in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine recognizable for its three-cornered shape...

: from Haman 'Haman

Haman (Bible)

Haman is the main antagonist in the Book of Esther, who, according to Old Testament tradition, was a 5th Century BC noble and vizier of the Persian empire under King Ahasuerus, traditionally identified as Artaxerxes II...

' (MW) (='vizier') (SC) + from Yiddish (MW)
hansom : from 'Hansom

Joseph Hansom

Joseph Aloysius Hansom was a prolific English architect working principally in the Gothic Revival style, who invented the Hansom cab and was one of the founders of the eminent architectural journal, The Builder, in 1843....

' (MW), from 'Hans

Hans (name)

Hans is a masculine given name. In German, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Icelandic and Swedish, originally it is short for Johannes but is also recognized in Sweden, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands as a name in its own right for official purposes....

', from Yohanan 'John

John (name)

' (='the

Yahweh

is gracious') (HH)
jack : 1 from יוחנן Yohanan 'John
John (name)
John is a masculine given name in the English language. The name is derived from the Latin Ioannes, Iohannes, which is in turn a form of the Greek , Iōánnēs. This Greek name is a form of the Hebrew name , , which means "God is generous"...

' (MW) (='the is gracious') (HH)
2 perhaps from יַעֲקֹב Ya'aqobh 'Jacob

Jacob (name)

Jacob is a common male first name and a less well-known surname. Since 1999 and through 2010, Jacob has been the most popular baby name for newborn boys in United States. It is a cognate of James....

' (MW) (='he has protected') (AHD)
jacket

Jacket

A jacket is a hip- or waist-length garment for the upper body. A jacket typically has sleeves, and fastens in the front. A jacket is generally lighter, tighter-fitting, and less insulating than a coat, which is outerwear...

: from יַעֲקֹב Ya'aqobh 'Jacob

Jacob (name)

Jacob is a common male first name and a less well-known surname. Since 1999 and through 2010, Jacob has been the most popular baby name for newborn boys in United States. It is a cognate of James....

' (MW) (='he has protected') (AHD)
jacobean

Sprekelia

Sprekelia is a genus of at least three bulbous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. They are native to Central America. Like Hippeastrum, these plants were known as Amaryllis. Sprekelia plants are sometimes called "Aztec lilies", although they are not true lilies...

: from יַעֲקֹב Ya'aqobh 'Jacob

Jacob (name)

Jacob is a common male first name and a less well-known surname. Since 1999 and through 2010, Jacob has been the most popular baby name for newborn boys in United States. It is a cognate of James....

' (MW) (='he has protected') (AHD)
jacquard : from 'Jacquard' (AHD, MW), from יַעֲקֹב Ya'aqobh 'Jacob

Jacob (name)

Jacob is a common male first name and a less well-known surname. Since 1999 and through 2010, Jacob has been the most popular baby name for newborn boys in United States. It is a cognate of James....

' (MW) (='he has protected') (AHD)
jacquerie

Jacquerie

The Jacquerie was a popular revolt in late medieval Europe by peasants that took place in northern France in the summer of 1358, during the Hundred Years' War. The revolt, which was violently suppressed after a few weeks of violence, centered in the Oise valley north of Paris...

: from יַעֲקֹב Ya'aqobh 'Jacob

Jacob (name)

Jacob is a common male first name and a less well-known surname. Since 1999 and through 2010, Jacob has been the most popular baby name for newborn boys in United States. It is a cognate of James....

' (MW) (='he has protected') (AHD)
jakes : perhaps from יַעֲקֹב Ya'aqobh 'Jacob

Jacob (name)

Jacob is a common male first name and a less well-known surname. Since 1999 and through 2010, Jacob has been the most popular baby name for newborn boys in United States. It is a cognate of James....

' (MW) (='he has protected') (AHD)
jeez : from (AHD) יֵשׁוּעַ Yeshua 'Jesus' (MW) (='Jehovah

Jehovah

Jehovah is an anglicized representation of Hebrew , a vocalization of the Tetragrammaton , the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible....

-saved') (SC)
jehu : from יהוא Yehu 'Jehu

Jehu

Jehu was a king of Israel. He was the son of Jehoshaphat, and grandson of Nimshi.William F. Albright has dated his reign to 842-815 BC, while E. R. Thiele offers the dates 841-814 BC...

' (MW) (='Jehovah

Jehovah

Jehovah is an anglicized representation of Hebrew , a vocalization of the Tetragrammaton , the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible....

[is] He') (SC)
jeremiad

Jeremiad

A jeremiad is a long literary work, usually in prose, but sometimes in poetry, in which the author bitterly laments the state of society and its morals in a serious tone of sustained invective, and always contains a prophecy of society's imminent downfall....

: from (AHD) יִרְמְיָה Yirmeyah 'Jeremiah

Jeremiah

Jeremiah Hebrew：יִרְמְיָה , Modern Hebrew:Yirməyāhū, IPA: jirməˈjaːhu, Tiberian:Yirmĭyahu, Greek:Ἰερεμίας), meaning "Yahweh exalts", or called the "Weeping prophet" was one of the main prophets of the Hebrew Bible...

' (MW) (='the will rise') (SC)
jeroboam : from (AHD, MW) יָרָבְעָם Yarov'am 'Jeroboam

Jeroboam

Jeroboam was the first king of the northern Israelite Kingdom of Israel after the revolt of the ten northern Israelite tribes against Rehoboam that put an end to the United Monarchy....

' (='people will contend') (SC)
jesuit : from יֵשׁוּעַ Yeshua 'Jesus' (AHD) ('Jehovah

Jehovah

Jehovah is an anglicized representation of Hebrew , a vocalization of the Tetragrammaton , the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible....

-saved') (SC)
jezebel : from (AHD) איזבל Izebhel 'Jezebel

Jezebel

Jezebel may refer to:* Jezebel, wife of King Ahab*Jezebel, in the Book of Revelation 2:20 a prophetess in the church of Thyatira* Jezebel , starring Bette Davis and Henry Fonda* Jezebel , a blog aimed at women...

' (MW) (='chaste') (SC)
jimmy : from (MW) 'James

James (name)

The name James is derived from the same Hebrew name as Jacob, meaning "Supplanter" ....

' (AHD), from יַעֲקֹב Ya'aqobh 'Jacob

Jacob (name)

Jacob is a common male first name and a less well-known surname. Since 1999 and through 2010, Jacob has been the most popular baby name for newborn boys in United States. It is a cognate of James....

' (MW, OED) (='he has protected') (AHD)
jockey

Jockey

A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...

: from (AHD) יוחנן Yohanan 'John

John (name)

' (MW) (='the is gracious') (HH)
joe

Average Joe

Average Joe is an American reality television show broadcast on the NBC beginning in 2003. There were a total of four seasons, the first two following the original show premise, and the last two bringing back contestants from prior seasons.-Show Premise:...

: from יוֹסֵף Yoseph 'Joseph

Joseph (name)

Joseph is a name originating from Hebrew, recorded in the Hebrew Bible, as יוֹסֵף, Standard Hebrew Yosef, Tiberian Hebrew and Aramaic Yôsēp̄. In Arabic, including in the Qur'an, the name is spelled يوسف or Yūsuf. The name can be translated from Hebrew יהוה להוסיף Yihoh Lhosif as signifying "YHWH...

' (MW) (='he shall add') (HH)
john (washroom) : from (AHD) יוחנן Yohanan 'John

John (name)

' (MW) (='the is gracious') (HH)
johnny (gown) : from (AHD) יוחנן Yohanan 'John

John (name)

' (MW) (='the is gracious') (HH)
jorum : perhaps from (AHD, MW) Yehoram

Jehoram

Jehoram was the name of several individuals in the Tanakh. The female version of this name is Athaliah.*Jehoram of Israel or Joram, the King of Israel*Jehoram of Judah, the King of Judah...

'Joram

Joram

Joram may refer to:*Jehoram *JORAM, an open source implementation of the JMS API.*Joram MacRorie, a fictional character in the Deryni novels by Katherine Kurtz...

' (='Jehovah

Jehovah

Jehovah is an anglicized representation of Hebrew , a vocalization of the Tetragrammaton , the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible....

-raised') (SC)
joseph : from (AHD) יוֹסֵף Yoseph 'Joseph

Joseph (name)

' (MW) (='he shall add') (HH)
lazar : from (AHD) אלעזר El'azar 'Lazarus

Lazarus of Bethany

Lazarus of Bethany, also known as Saint Lazarus or Lazarus of the Four Days, is the subject of a prominent miracle attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus restores him to life four days after his death...

' (MW) (='God is my help') (HH)
lazaretto

Lazaretto

A lazaretto or lazaret is a quarantine station for maritime travellers. Lazarets can be ships permanently at anchor, isolated islands, or mainland buildings. Until 1908, lazarets were also used for disinfecting postal items, usually by fumigation...

: from (AHD) אלעזר El'azar 'Lazarus

Lazarus of Bethany

' (MW) (='God is my help') (HH) + from (MW) נָצְרַת‎ natzerath 'Nazareth

Nazareth

Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...

' (WNW)
macadam

Macadam

Macadam is a type of road construction pioneered by the Scotsman John Loudon McAdam in around 1820. The method simplified what had been considered state-of-the-art at that point...

: from 'McAdam

John Loudon McAdam

John Loudon McAdam was a Scottish engineer and road-builder. He invented a new process, "macadamisation", for building roads with a smooth hard surface that would be more durable and less muddy than soil-based tracks....

' (MW), in part from Adham 'Adam

Adam

' (='earth') (HH)
macadamia

Macadamia

Macadamia is a genus of nine species of flowering plants in the family Proteaceae, with a disjunct distribution native to eastern Australia , New Caledonia and Sulawesi in Indonesia ....

: from 'Macadam

John Macadam

Dr. John Macadam , was an Australian chemist, medical teacher and politician. The genus Macadamia was named after him in 1857 by his colleague Ferdinand von Mueller....

' (MW), in part from Adham 'Adam

Adam

' (='earth') (HH)
marionette

Marionette

A marionette is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a manipulator. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed to an audience by using a vertical or horizontal control bar in different forms...

: from מִרְיָם Miryam (AHD) 'Miriam' (MW, OED) (='rebelliously') (SC) + perhaps from Egyptian (HH)
marry (interjection) : from מִרְיָם Miryam (AHD) 'Miriam' (MW, OED) (='rebelliously') (SC) + perhaps from Egyptian (HH)
mick : from Mikha'el 'Michael

Michael

Michael is a given name that comes from the , derived from the Hebrew question מי כמו אלוהים? meaning "Who is like God?" In English, it is sometimes shortened to Mike, Mikey, or, especially in Ireland, Mick...

' (MW) (='who [is] like God?') (SC)
mickey (drink)

Mickey Finn (drugs)

A Mickey Finn, is a slang term for a drink laced with a drug given to someone without his knowledge in order to incapacitate him...

: perhaps from (AHD) Mikha'el 'Michael

Michael

' (MW) (='who [is] like God?') (SC)
miquelet

Miquelet

Miquelet Lock is a modern collector/auctioneer/curator term, largely used by and for the benefit of the English speaking world, widely applied to a distinctive form of snaplock, originally as a flint-against-steel ignition form, prevalent in the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan peninsulas, North...

: probably from Catalan Miquel (NI), from Mikha'el 'Michael

Michael

' (MW) (='who [is] like God?') (SC)
moll

Moll (slang)

Moll is Australian and New Zealand slang, usually pejorative or self-deprecating, for a woman of loose sexual morals, a bitch, a slut or a prostitute...

: from מִרְיָם Miryam (AHD) 'Miriam' (MW, OED) (='rebelliously') (SC) + perhaps from Egyptian (HH)
nance

Nance

Byrsonima crassifolia is a species of flowering plant in the acerola family, Malpighiaceae, that is native to tropical America. It is valued for its small, sweet, yellow fruit, which are strongly scented....

: from 'Nancy' (MW, AHD), probably in part from חנה Channah 'Anna

Anna (name)

Anna is a Latin form of the Greek name Greek Ἄννα and the Hebrew name Hannah . Anna is in wide use in countries across the world as are its variants Anne, originally a French version of the name, though in use in English speaking countries for hundreds of years, and Ann, which was originally the...

' (OED) (='favored') (HH, SC)
nimrod : from (AHD) נמרוד Nimrodh 'Nimrod

Nimrod

Nimrod means "Hunter"; was a Biblical Mesopotamian king mentioned in the Table of Nations; an eponym for the city of Nimrud.Nimrod can also refer to any of the following:*Nimród Antal, a director...

' (='hunter') (MW)
philistine

Philistinism

Philistinism is a derogatory term used to a particular attitude or set of values perceived as despising or undervaluing art, beauty, spirituality, or intellectualism. A person with this attitude is referred to as a Philistine and may also be considered materialistic, favoring conventional social...

: 1 from פלשתים Pelistim 'Philistines
Philistines
Philistines , Pleshet or Peleset, were a people who occupied the southern coast of Canaan at the beginning of the Iron Age . According to the Bible, they ruled the five city-states of Gaza, Askelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath, from the Wadi Gaza in the south to the Yarqon River in the north, but with...

' 'Aegean people who settled Philistia' (AHD)
2 from (MW) פלשת Pelesheth 'Philistia' (='rolling', 'migratory') (SC)
rube : (AHD) from רְאוּבֵן Re'ubhen 'Reuben

Reuben (Bible)

According to the Book of Genesis, Reuben or Re'uven was the first and eldest son of Jacob with Leah. He was the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Reuben.-Etymology:...

' (MW) (='see ye a son') (SC)
samaritan

Samaritan

The Samaritans are an ethnoreligious group of the Levant. Religiously, they are the adherents to Samaritanism, an Abrahamic religion closely related to Judaism...

: from (AHD, MW) שֹׁמְרוֹן Shomron 'Samaria

Samaria

Samaria, or the Shomron is a term used for a mountainous region roughly corresponding to the northern part of the West Bank.- Etymology :...

' (='watch-station') (SC)
semitist

Philo-Semitism

Philo-Semitism or Judeophilia is an interest in, respect for, and appreciation of the Jewish people, their historical significance and the positive impacts of Judaism in the history of the western world, in particular, generally on the part of a gentile...

: from שם Shem 'Shem

Shem

Shem was one of the sons of Noah in the Hebrew Bible as well as in Islamic literature. He is most popularly regarded as the eldest son, though some traditions regard him as the second son. Genesis 10:21 refers to relative ages of Shem and his brother Japheth, but with sufficient ambiguity in each...

' (MW) (='name') (SC)
simony

Simony

Simony is the act of paying for sacraments and consequently for holy offices or for positions in the hierarchy of a church, named after Simon Magus , who appears in the Acts of the Apostles 8:9-24...

: from (AHD) שִׁמְעוֹן Shim'on 'Simon

Simon Magus

Simon the Sorcerer or Simon the Magician, in Latin Simon Magus, was a Samaritan magus or religious figure and a convert to Christianity, baptised by Philip the Apostle, whose later confrontation with Peter is recorded in . The sin of simony, or paying for position and influence in the church, is...

' (MW) (='hearing') (HH, SC)
sodom

Sodomy

Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...

: from (MW) סדום s'dom 'Sodom

Sodom and Gomorrah

Sodom and Gomorrah were cities mentioned in the Book of Genesis and later expounded upon throughout the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and Deuterocanonical sources....

' (AHD, OED) (='burnt') (SC)
toby : from (AHD, MW) טוביה Toviah 'Tobias

Tobias

Tobias is a Greek version of the Hebrew biblical name "Toviyah" , meaning "Yahweh is good". It is a popular male given name in Germany, Scandinavia, the United States and amongst Jewish people. In English-speaking countries it is often shortened to Toby. Other diminutives are Tobi , Tobsen and...

' (='goodness of Jehovah

Jehovah

Jehovah is an anglicized representation of Hebrew , a vocalization of the Tetragrammaton , the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible....

') (SC)

Letter names

aleph

Aleph

* Aleph or Alef is the first letter of the Semitic abjads descended from Proto-Canaanite, Arabic alphabet, Phoenician alphabet, Hebrew alphabet, Syriac alphabet-People:*Aleph , an Italo disco artist and alias of Dave Rodgers...

, beth, gimel, daleth, he

He (letter)

He is the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician , Aramaic, Hebrew , Syriac and Arabic . Its sound value is a voiceless glottal fricative ....

, waw

Waw (letter)

Waw is the sixth letter of the Northwest Semitic family of scripts, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, and Arabic ....

, zayin

Zayin

Zayin is the seventh letter of many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician , Aramaic , Hebrew , Syriac and Perso-Arabic alphabet...

, heth

Heth

-People:* Children of Heth, a Canaanite nation in the Hebrew Bible, purportedly named after Heth, son of Canaan, son of Ham, son of Noah* figures in the Book of Mormon:** Heth , an early Jaredite** Heth a later Jaredite...

, teth

Teth

' is the ninth letter of many Semitic abjads , including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew Tet , Syriac and Arabic ; it is 9th in abjadi order and 16th in modern Arabic order....

, yod

Yodh

Yodh is the tenth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew Yud , Syriac and Arabic...

, kaph

Kaph

Kaph is the eleventh letter of many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew Kaf , Arabic alphabet , Persian alphabet...

, lamed, mem

Mem

Mem is the thirteenth letter of many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic...

, nun

Nun (letter)

Nun is the fourteenth letter of many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic alphabet . It is the third letter in Thaana , pronounced as "noonu"...

, samekh

Samekh

Samekh or Simketh is the fifteenth letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic, representing . The Arabic alphabet, however, uses a letter based on Phoenician šin to represent ; however, that glyph takes Samekh's place in the traditional Abjadi order of the Arabic...

, ayin

Ayin

' or ' is the sixteenth letter in many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic . It is the twenty-first letter in the new Persian alphabet...

, pe

Pe (letter)

Pe is the seventeenth letter in many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew Pei and Persian, Arabic ....

, sadhe, qoph

Qoph

Qoph or Qop is the nineteenth letter in many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Syriac, Hebrew and Arabic alphabet . Its sound value is an emphatic or . The OHED gives the letter Qoph a transliteration value of Q or a K and a final transliteration value as a ck...

, resh

Resh

Resh is the twentieth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic alphabet . Its sound value is one of a number of rhotic consonants: usually or , but also or in Hebrew....

, shin

Shin (letter)

Shin literally means "Sharp" ; It is the twenty-first letter in many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician , Aramaic/Hebrew , and Arabic ....

, taw

Taw

(AHD, MW, WNW)
alpha
Alpha (letter)
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 1. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Aleph...

: from Greek Άλφα alpha, perhaps from אלוף alef 'ox', 'leader' (WNW) + from Canaanite 𐤀𐤋𐤐 alp 'ox' (AHD)
beta

Beta (letter)

Beta is the second letter of the Greek alphabet. In Ancient Greek, beta represented the voiced bilabial plosive . In Modern Greek, it represents the voiced labiodental fricative ....

: from Greek Βήτα beta, from בית bet 'house', probably from Phoenician (WNW) + from Canaanite 𐤁𐤉𐤕 bet 'house' (AHD)
gamma

Gamma

Gamma is the third letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 3. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Gimel . Letters that arose from Gamma include the Roman C and G and the Cyrillic letters Ge Г and Ghe Ґ.-Greek:In Ancient Greek, gamma represented a...

: from Greek Γάμμα gamma, perhaps from גמל gimel 'ruminant beast' (WNW) + from Phoenician 𐤋𐤌𐤀𐤂 (AHD)
delta

Delta (letter)

Delta is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 4. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Dalet...

: from Greek Δέλτα delta (AHD), perhaps from דלת deleth 'door' (WNW) + of Semitic origin, akin to Phoenician 𐤕𐤋𐤀𐤃 dalt 'door' (AHD)
eta

ETA

ETA , an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna is an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization. The group was founded in 1959 and has since evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group with the goal of gaining independence for the Greater Basque Country...

: from Greek eta, perhaps from chet (WNW) 'terror' (SC) + from (MW) Phoenician 𐤕𐤇 (AHD)
iota

Iota

Iota is the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 10. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Yodh . Letters that arose from this letter include the Roman I and J and the Cyrillic І , Yi , Je , and iotified letters .Iota represents...

: from Greek Ιώτα iota, perhaps from יד yodh 'hand' (WNW) + from (MW) Phoenician 𐤕𐤏𐤉 (AHD)
kappa

Kappa

Kappa is the 10th letter of the Greek alphabet, used to represent the voiceless velar stop, or "k", sound in Ancient and Modern Greek. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 20. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Kaph...

: from Greek Κάππα kappa, perhaps from כף kaph (WNW) 'palm of the hand' (MW) + from (MW) Phoenician 𐤅𐤀𐤊 (AHD)
lambda

Lambda

Lambda is the 11th letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals lambda has a value of 30. Lambda is related to the Phoenician letter Lamed . Letters in other alphabets that stemmed from lambda include the Roman L and the Cyrillic letter El...

: from Greek Λάμβδα lambda, perhaps from למד lamedh 'whip', 'club' (WNW) + from (MW) Phoenician 𐤃𐤌𐤀𐤋 (AHD)
nu

Nu (letter)

Nu , is the 13th letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 50...

: from Greek Νυ nu, perhaps from נון nun 'fish' (WNW) + of Semitic origin (AHD)
pi

Pi (letter)

Pi is the sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, representing . In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 80. Letters that arose from pi include Cyrillic Pe , Coptic pi , and Gothic pairthra .The upper-case letter Π is used as a symbol for:...

: from Greek Πι pi, perhaps from פה pe 'mouth' (WNW) + from (MW) Phoenician 𐤄𐤐 (AHD)
rho

Rho (letter)

Rho is the 17th letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 100. It is derived from Semitic resh "head"...

: from Greek Ρω rho, perhaps from ראש rosh 'head' (WNW) + from (MW) Phoenician 𐤔𐤏𐤓 (AHD)
tau

Tau

Tau is the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 300.The name in English is pronounced , but in modern Greek it is...

: from Greek Ταυ tau, perhaps from taw (WNW) 'mark', 'cross' (MW) + from (MW) Phoenician 𐤅𐤀𐤕 (AHD)

From Hebrew words

From Hebrew names

Letter names

See also