Abraham

American  

[ey-bruh-ham, -huhm] / ˈeɪ brəˌhæm, -həm /

noun

1. the first of the great Biblical patriarchs, father of Isaac, and traditional founder of the ancient Hebrew nation: considered by Muslims an ancestor of the Arab peoples through his son Ishmael.

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

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Abraham British  

/ ˈeɪbrəˌhæm, -həm /

noun

1. Old Testament the first of the patriarchs, the father of Isaac and the founder of the Hebrew people (Genesis 11–25)

2. the place where the just repose after death (Luke 16:22)

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Other Word Forms

• Abrahamic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Abraham

First recorded before 1000; from Late Latin, from Greek Abraám, from Hebrew ʾabhrāhām, traditionally translated as “father of many nations, father of multitudes,” equivalent to ʾabh “father” + hamon “multitude,” or a variant of ʾabhram “high father, exalted father,” equivalent to ʾabh “father” + ram “high, exalted”

Compare meaning

How does abraham compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Abram vs. Abraham

Example Sentences

In 1862 President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act, authorizing two railroad companies to lay tracks from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean.

From The Wall Street Journal

Yes, and so did Kazakhstan before it joined the Abraham Accords in November.

From The Wall Street Journal

At her news conference on Monday, Sheinbaum called for cooperation among countries in the region, at one point quoting Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr. Brown notes that historians routinely place Roosevelt fourth among presidential greats, after Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and TR’s distant relative Franklin Roosevelt.

From The Wall Street Journal

She remains mired by her lot in life as a woman, subject to Abraham’s growing desire to start a family.

From Salon