Esther

American  

[es-ter] / ˈɛs tər /

noun

1. the wife of Ahasuerus.

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

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

4. a female given name.

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Esther British  

/ ˈɛstə /

noun

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

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Esther Cultural  

1. 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.

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Discover More

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

Etymology

Origin of Esther

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 ( def. ), Ishtar ( def. ), star ( def. )

Example Sentences

The company was born in 1948, when Harry and Esther Snyder opened a small food stand in Baldwin Park.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

"Space is one of the few areas that Americans with different political views can enjoy and watch together," said Esther Brimmer, a senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations who specialises in space policy.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Rather than refer to the Jews as Israelites, the Book of Esther calls them Yehudim—descendants of Judah, the biblical son of Jacob, whose name derives from the Hebrew word hoda’ah, grateful acknowledgment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

Esther is a former Knight-Bagehot fellow at Columbia University.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

While the rest of us kids cowered against the wall, Doc arrived and had Esther carted out.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam