name

Abraham

AY-bruh-ham

name

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.

"Neither ſhall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name ſhall bee Abraham: for a father of many nations haue I made thee." — The Holy Bible (1611)

"As one would expect of caravan people around 1900 B.C., the caravan people depicted in the Khnum-hotpe grave had donkeys, whereas the Bible says that Abraham and his people, who according to the traditional interpretation are supposed to have lived at the same period, already possessed camels." — Werner Keller (1980)

A male given name from Hebrew.

"Abraham Lincoln was clinically depressed. Some say he was gay. He guest-starred on a “Star Trek” episode and became a vampire slayer." — (2021)

A surname originating as a patronymic.

"Farmer also happened to be just the kind of expert that Franck and his co-author Daniel Abraham needed to bring their novels to the screen." — (2019)

The 14th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.

noun

archaic A shop selling cheap and low-quality clothes, especially in the East End of London.

Word Forms

Abrahams plural, Abrahams plural

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “Abraham” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

Neither ſhall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name ſhall bee _____: for a father of many nations haue I made thee.

Etymology

Etymology tree Biblical Hebrew אַבְרָהָם (ʔaḇrɔhɔm)bor. Ancient Greek Ἀβρᾱᾱ́μ (Abrāā́m)bor. Latin Ābrahāmbor. Old English Abraham Middle English Abraham English Abraham 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 and Avraham.

Origin: Ancient Greek

Rhymes for Abraham

graham

See all rhymes for Abraham →