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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-gayl] / ˈæb ɪˌgeɪl /

noun

1. a lady's maid.

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Abigail ² American  

[ab-i-gayl] / 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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

abigail Abigail

I could not believe the missive was intended for me; and I asked the abigail who had delivered it if she was not mistaken in the recipient.

From The Merrie Tales of Jacques Tournebroche And Child Life in Town and Country by A. R. (Alfred Richard) Allinson

Her cheeks flamed before the sharp eyes of the abigail, and then flamed again with scorn at her own folly.

From The Fortunes of the Farrells by Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey

"What does this mean?" cried the abigail, with an imperious frown which served to mask a new-born terror.

From The Maid of Honour (Vol. 3 of 3) A Tale of the Dark Days of France by Lewis Wingfield

Coachman, footman, abigail, and doubtless all fitting etceteras, owned her as their sovereign lady and mistress.

From Paris and the Parisians in 1835 (Vol. 1 of 2) by Frances Milton Trollope

The abigail had got the worst of the encounter, her proofs as well as her accusation were rendered ridiculous, even in her own eyes, although she knew the accusation to be true.

From The Maid of Honour (Vol. 3 of 3) A Tale of the Dark Days of France by Lewis Wingfield

Abigail Holmes, clinical board director for women and children at the health board, told the meeting they were "working incredibly hard to make sure our service does not collapse".

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

It makes sense to be headquartered in California, both because of its history of car culture and its “positive vision of the future,” said Abigail Ramsden, Rivian’s senior manager of state policy for Western states.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

"These are thick blocks of ice that can drift for years," specifies Dr. Abigail Dalton of the Canadian Ice Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026

Our independence might never have been won without John and Abigail Adams.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

“Hmm. Actually, Abigail seems to agree with Eevie on this one. She wrote, ‘That tree is a pathetic doormat.

From "Orphan Island" by Laurel Snyder

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