Ezra

American  

[ez-ruh] / ˈɛz rə /

noun

1. a Jewish scribe and prophet of the 5th century b.c., who with Nehemiah led the revival of Judaism in Palestine.

2. a book of the Bible bearing his name. Ezr.

3. a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “help.”

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Ezra British  

/ ˈɛzrə /

noun

1. a Jewish priest of the 5th century _bc , who was sent from Babylon by the Persian king Artaxerxes I to reconstitute observance of the Jewish law and worship in Jerusalem after the captivity

2. the book recounting his efforts to perform this task

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Etymology

Origin of Ezra

From Late Latin Ezras, ulimately from Hebrew ʿezrā “help”

Example Sentences

“It’s a cute skunk, Mom, but I want to go over to Ezra’s house. Okay?”

From Literature

He holds the Ezra K. Zilkha Chair in the Brookings Institution’s Governance Studies Program, where he serves as a senior fellow.

From The Wall Street Journal

Other album of the year nominees include jazz stars Ezra Collective, for Dance, No One's Watching; and rapper Kojey Radical, for the musically rich Don't Look Down.

From BBC

A few weeks later, authorities detained the leaders of one of China’s most vibrant underground church networks, including Ezra Jin, a high-profile pastor.

From The Wall Street Journal

“His basketball future is so bright. He hasn’t even tipped what he’s going to be. … We’re gonna rely on Ezra to keep this group together and be a leader, and he’s done that.”

From Los Angeles Times