Jacob

American  

[jay-kuhb, zha-kawb] / ˈdʒeɪ kəb, ʒaˈkɔb /

noun

1. (in the Bible) the second son of Isaac, the twin brother of Esau, and father of the 12 patriarchs.

2. François 1920–2013, French geneticist: Nobel Prize in Medicine 1965.

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

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Jacob British  

/ ˈdʒeɪkəb /

noun

1. Old Testament the son of Isaac, twin brother of Esau, and father of the twelve patriarchs of Israel

2. Also called: Jacob sheep. any of an ancient breed of sheep having a fleece with dark brown patches and two or four horns

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Jacob Scientific  

/ zhä-kôb′ /

1. French geneticist who studied how genes control cellular activity by directing the synthesis of proteins. With Jacques Monod, he theorized that there are genes that regulate the activity of other, neighboring genes. They also proposed the existence of messenger RNA.

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Etymology

Origin of Jacob

sense 2 in allusion to Genesis 30:40

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Jacob

ANC support has mostly dissipated among splinter parties, including uMkhonto weSizwe, headed by scandal-ridden former President Jacob Zuma and which won 10% of the vote in its first municipal elections.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2026

Isaac - who his twin brother Jacob Valdez describes as an intelligent man who loved volunteering and helping the elderly - died on 26 August 2026 when doctors turned off his life support.

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026

Emarketer analyst Jacob Bourne agreed that the chip maker’s performance “will give investors encouragement” across the broader AI universe.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026

The party was founded by former South African President Jacob Zuma and was the biggest party across his home province of KwaZulu-Natal in the 2024 provincial election.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

New York Senator Jacob Javits called the assault on the marchers “an exercise in terror.”

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

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