abigail
[ab-i-geyl]
- a lady's maid.
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Origin of abigail
1645–55; after Abigail, name of attendant in play The Scornful Lady (1610), by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher
Abigail
[ab-i-geyl]
- the wife of Nabal and later of David. I Sam. 25.
- a female given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “joy of the father.”
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for abigail
Contemporary Examples
What we can reasonably require an Abigail Fisher to understand is that the rules are bent based on socioeconomics.
In our moment, then, an Abigail Fisher must be viewed differently than she once would have been.
At the center of the case is Abigail Fisher, a white woman who was denied admission to the University of Texas at Austin in 2008.
Abigail Haglage rounds up what we know so far about the honorable Charles Ramsey.
So too does Abigail Pogrebin, an author and former 60 Minutes producer.
Historical Examples
The finer feminine instinct of Abigail led her to interpose.
Beauty and The Beast, and Tales From HomeBayard Taylor
Meanwhile, Miss Abigail had descended the stairs to the sitting room.
Cap'n Warren's WardsJoseph C. Lincoln
Similarly, she indulged a mettlesome fancy for referring to her hostess as "dear Abigail."
NobodyLouis Joseph Vance
Abigail, to save her husband and his property, hastens to the foot of the hill.
The Wedding RingT. De Witt Talmage
The stories of Deborah and Abigail are very apt to discourage a woman's soul.
The Wedding RingT. De Witt Talmage
Abigail
- Old Testament the woman who brought provisions to David and his followers and subsequently became his wife (I Samuel 25:1–42)
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for abigail
Abigail
fem. proper name, in Old Testament, Abigail the Carmelitess, a wife of David, from Hebrew Abhigayil, literally "my father is rejoicing," from abh "father" + gil "to rejoice." Used in general sense of "lady's maid" (1660s) from character of that name in Beaumont & Fletcher's "The Scornful Lady." The waiting maid association perhaps begins with I Sam. xxv, where David's wife often calls herself a "handmaid." Her male counterpart was Andrew.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper