Esther

American  

[es-ter] / ˈɛs tər /

noun

1. the wife of Ahasuerus.

2. a book of the Bible bearing her name. Esth.

3. a number of prayers, visions, interpretations of dreams, etc., that are included in the Douay Bible as chapters 10–16.

4. a female given name.

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Esther British  

/ ˈɛstə /

noun

1. a beautiful Jewish woman who became queen of Persia and saved her people from massacre

2. the book in which this episode is recounted

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Esther Cultural  

1. A book of the Old Testament that tells the story of a beautiful Jewish woman named Esther who is chosen by the king of Persia (now Iran; see Persian Empire) to be his queen. Esther, with the aid of her cousin Mordecai, stops a plot to massacre the Jews (see also Jews) in Persia, and Mordecai becomes the king's chief minister.

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Discover More

This event is celebrated by Jews as the feast of Purim.

Etymology

Origin of Esther

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin Hester, from Greek Esthēr, from Hebrew Estēr; further origin uncertain; possibly from Persian sitareh, setāre “star, fate”; possibly from Akkadian Ishtar; cf. Aphrodite ( def. ), Ishtar ( def. ), star ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Esther

Tohn: Esther said: I want to figure this out and you should too.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

If I was Esther, I would like feel like I got my gut punched.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Dame Esther presented That's Life! for 21 years and set up Childline in 1986, and later The Silver Line helpline for older people.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

A posthumous note written by Dame Esther Rantzen said she was "deprived of any choice over my own death".

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

“Pretty well, thanks to Aunt March, who lets Esther talk to me as often as I like,” replied Amy, with a grateful look, which caused the old lady to smile affably.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

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