Rachel

[ rey-chuhl ]

noun
  1. Jacob's favored wife, the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Genesis 29–35.

  2. a female given name.

Origin of Rachel

1
From Late Latin, from Greek Rhachḗl, from Hebrew rāḥēl “ewe, female lamb”

Words Nearby Rachel

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How to use Rachel in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Rachel

Rachel

noun
  1. (ˈreɪtʃəl) Old Testament the second and best-loved wife of Jacob; mother of Joseph and Benjamin (Genesis 29–35)

  2. (French raʃɛl) original name Elisa Félix . 1820–58, French tragic actress, famous for her roles in the plays of Racine and Corneille

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 Rachel

Rachel

The second wife of Jacob (see Jacob and Esau). She was sterile for many years, but eventually had two sons: Joseph (see Joseph and his brothers) and Benjamin.

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.