Esther

[es-ter]

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.

Esther

/ 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

Esther

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.

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Esther¹

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; Aphrodite ( def. ), Ishtar ( def. ), star ( def. )

Example Sentences

"There's this false idea that being thin means being chic, being rich," said French model casting director Esther Boiteux to AFP.

Read more on Barron's

Esther Wallace, a former Division-I basketball player turned designer, saw that it was easy to buy merchandise celebrating the NBA’s biggest stars but much harder to find a jersey for their female counterparts.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The blind trust the Paxtons voluntarily established in 2015, called the Esther Blind Trust, is structured to block the couple from knowledge of their investments.

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Esther Jones, from Coed Du Hall Ltd, said the training had since been improved and more attention was being paid to care plans, which the coroner said he accepted was the case.

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Conservative MP Esther McVey told party members that Thatcher would be "spinning in her grave" at GB Energy, the new company set up by Labour to invest in green energy projects.

Read more on BBC