Joseph

[joh-zuhf, -suhf]

noun

1. (in the Bible) Jacob's eleventh son, the first of Jacob and his second wife, Rachel: sold into slavery by his brothers.

2. (in the Bible) the husband of Mary who was the mother of Jesus.

3. Hinmaton-yalaktit, c1840–1904, leader of the Nez Perce: led 1,000-mile (1,600-km) retreat from U.S. forces in an attempt to reach Canada in 1877.

4. joseph, a long coat buttoning in the front, worn especially by women as part of their riding habit in colonial America.

5. a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “increaser.”

Joseph

¹

/ ˈdʒəʊzɪf /

noun

1. Old Testament

   1. the eleventh son of Jacob and one of the 12 patriarchs of Israel (Genesis 30:2–24)

   2. either or both of two tribes descended from his sons Ephraim and Manasseh

2. New Testament the husband of Mary the mother of Jesus (Matthew 1:16–25). Feast day: Mar 19

joseph

²

/ ˈdʒəʊzɪf /

noun

1. a woman's floor-length riding coat with a small cape, worn esp in the 18th century

Word History and Origins

Origin of Joseph¹

perhaps from the story of Joseph and his long coat (Genesis 37:3)

Example Sentences

Sorensen-McGee scored her second try of the game with 22 minutes remaining and the 18-year-old completed her hat-trick before Maia Joseph added some gloss in the final minute.

From BBC

However, the holders ended the game in style as Sorensen-McGee rounded out another flowing move to score her second hat-trick of the tournament, as replacement Joseph crossed with the final play of the match and Holmes landed her fifth conversion.

From BBC

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo stopped by CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday for his first major televised interview since announcing his state would end all vaccination mandates.

From Salon

Joseph David Emerson was riding off-duty in the cockpit of an Alaska Airlines flight when he told the pilots "I am not okay" before trying to cut the engines midair, court documents showed.

From BBC

While there were certainly whoops of joy when Mark Joseph Stern and Dahlia Lithwick reunited in this week’s Plus members-only episode, there was not much else to celebrate.

From Slate