Judith

American  

[joo-dith] / ˈdʒu dɪθ /

noun

1. a devoutly religious woman of the ancient Jews who saved her town from conquest by entering the camp of the besieging Assyrian army and cutting off the head of its commander, Holofernes, while he slept.

2. a book of the Apocrypha and Douay Bible bearing her name. Jud.

3. a river in central Montana, flowing north from the Little Belt Mountains to the Missouri River. 124 miles (200 km) long.

4. a female given name.

---

Judith British  

/ ˈdʒuːdɪθ /

noun

1. the heroine of one of the books of the Apocrypha, who saved her native town by decapitating Holofernes

2. the book recounting this episode

---

Etymology

Origin of Judith

From Late Latin Iudith, from Greek Ioudíth, from Hebrew yəhūdhīth “Jewish woman”

Example Sentences

Lopes is survived by two brothers, Patrick and John, and four sisters, Jean, Judith, Mary and Nina.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

The Chinese naval exercises reminded New Zealanders that the country can’t rely on its remote location to keep it out of trouble, Judith Collins, New Zealand’s defense minister, said in an interview.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

Co-lead author Dr. Judith Findlater from Queen's University Belfast passed away before the study was published.

From Science Daily • Feb. 26, 2026

Gemma said Morgan and Judith were "very close" with a shared a love for music, having both played the guitar: "She idolised him, he was her blue-eyed boy."

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026

"No. I'm just—I'm looking for someone, and I think Judith might be able to tell me more about them."

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse