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• abigail
  abigail

  noun

  a lady's maid.
• Abigail
  Abigail

  noun

  (in the Bible) the wife of Nabal and later of David.

abigail

¹ American  

[ab-i-geyl] / ˈæb ɪˌgeɪl /

noun

1. a lady's maid.

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Abigail ² American  

[ab-i-geyl] / ˈæb ɪˌgeɪl /

noun

1. (in the Bible) the wife of Nabal and later of David.

2. a first name: from a Hebrew word meaning “joy of the father.”

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Abigail British  

/ ˈæbɪˌɡeɪl /

noun

1. 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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Etymology

Origin of abigail

1645–55; after Abigail, name of attendant in play The Scornful Lady (1610), by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher

Example Sentences

In a statement, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said Trump’s highest priority has always been the deportation of immigrants with criminal records.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2026

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger campaigned as a moderate with national-security credentials.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

Virginia’s new governor, Democrat Abigail Spanberger, ran on a campaign last year pledging to tackle everyday costs like rising utility bills.

From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026

Abigail Wood, chief executive at Gingerbread, a charity for single parent families, said it had campaigned for a reform of the CMS as it was "failing parents and children alike".

From BBC • May 15, 2026

The gift that Abigail gave our family didn’t come with any warnings.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold