Esther

[ es-ter ]

noun
  1. the wife of Ahasuerus.

  2. a book of the Bible bearing her name. Abbreviation: Esth.

  1. a number of prayers, visions, interpretations of dreams, etc., that are included in the Douay Bible as chapters 10–16.

  2. a female given name.

Origin of Esther

1
First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin Hester, from Greek Esthēr, from Hebrew Estēr; further origin uncertain; possibly from Persian sitareh, setāre “star, fate”; possibly from Akkadian Ishtar; cf. Aphrodite, Ishtar, star

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British Dictionary definitions for Esther

Esther

/ (ˈɛstə) /


nounOld Testament
  1. a beautiful Jewish woman who became queen of Persia and saved her people from massacre

  2. the book in which this episode is recounted

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Esther

Esther

A book of the Old Testament that tells the story of a beautiful Jewish woman named Esther who is chosen by the king of Persia (now Iran; see Persian Empire) to be his queen. Esther, with the aid of her cousin Mordecai, stops a plot to massacre the Jews (see also Jews) in Persia, and Mordecai becomes the king's chief minister.

Notes for Esther

This event is celebrated by Jews as the feast of Purim.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.