Jesus

[ jee-zuhs, -zuhz ]

noun
  1. Also called Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth .born 4? b.c., crucified a.d. 29?, the source of the Christian religion.

  2. "the Son of Sirach", the author of the Apocryphal book of Ecclesiasticus, who lived in the 3rd century b.c.

  1. Christian Science. the supreme example of God's nature expressed through human beings.

  2. Also Je·sús [Spanish he-soos]. /Spanish hɛˈsus/. a male given name.

interjection
  1. Sometimes Offensive. (used as an oath or strong expression of disbelief, dismay, awe, disappointment, pain, etc.)

Origin of Jesus

1
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, from Late Latin Iēsus, from Greek Iēsoûs, from Hebrew Yēshūaʿ, syncopated variant of Yəhōshūaʿ “God is help”; in Early Modern English, the distinction (lost in Middle English ) between Jesus (nominative) and Jesu (oblique, especially vocative) was revived on the model of Latin and Greek sources; Jesus gradually supplanted the older form in both nominative and oblique; see Jesu

Words Nearby Jesus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Jesus in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Jesus

Jesus

/ (ˈdʒiːzəs) /


noun
  1. Also called: Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth ?4 bc –?29 ad, founder of Christianity, born in Bethlehem and brought up in Nazareth as a Jew. He is believed by Christians to be the Son of God and to have been miraculously conceived by the Virgin Mary, wife of Joseph. With 12 disciples, he undertook two missionary journeys through Galilee, performing miracles, teaching, and proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom of God. His revolutionary Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–8), which preaches love, humility, and charity, the essence of his teaching, aroused the hostility of the Pharisees. After the Last Supper with his disciples, he was betrayed by Judas and crucified. He is believed by Christians to have risen from his tomb after three days, appeared to his disciples several times, and ascended to Heaven after 40 days

  2. Son of Sirach. 3rd century bc, author of the Apocryphal book of Ecclesiasticus

interjectionAlso: Jesus wept
  1. taboo, slang used to express intense surprise, dismay, etc

Origin of Jesus

1
via Latin from Greek Iēsous, from Hebrew Yeshūa`, shortened from Yehōshūa` God is help, Joshua

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 Jesus

Jesus

A prophet of the first century of our era; to Christians (see also Christian), Jesus Christ, the son of God, a person who was both God and man, the Messiah sent by God to save the human race from the sin it inherited through the Fall of Man.

The story of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem is called the Nativity. He was conceived by the Virgin Mary (see Mary, the mother of Jesus) through the power of the Holy Spirit of God, laid in a manger after his birth in Bethlehem, and raised by Mary and her husband, Joseph (see Joseph, the husband of Mary), in Nazareth. As a boy of twelve, he went to the Temple in Jerusalem (see also Jerusalem), where he astonished the teachers of the Mosaic law with his knowledge. As a man, he chose the Twelve Apostles, with whom he traveled throughout his native Palestine teaching the word of God (see Sermon on the Mount), healing the sick, and performing miracles (see loaves and fishes). He attracted many followers and also made many enemies for claiming to be the Messiah and for failing to observe all Jewish laws. He was eventually betrayed by Judas Iscariot, condemned by Pontius Pilate, and crucified by the Roman authorities who ruled his country. Christians believe that he rose again from the dead and that his Resurrection makes salvation (see also salvation) possible. Christians also expect a Second Coming of Jesus. (See Crucifixion, gospel, and Gospels.)

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.