Maccabean

American

[mak-uh-bee-uhn] / ˌmæk əˈbi ən /

adjective

of or relating to the Maccabees or Judas Maccabaeus.

Maccabean British

/ ˌmækəˈbiːən /

adjective

of or relating to the Maccabees or to Judas Maccabaeus, the Jewish leader of a revolt (166–161 _bc ) against Seleucid oppression

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Maccabean

First recorded in 1815–25; Maccabe(es) + -an

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Jesus refused to be the nationalistic leader many Jews wanted, as they demonstrated when they waved palm branches—a symbol of the previously successful Maccabean Revolt—at his entry into Jerusalem.

From The Wall Street Journal

According to National Geographic, the Talmud, a Jewish holy text, states that Hanukkah acknowledges the Maccabean revolt the Hebrews led against the Hellenistic influence that was being imposed by Greco-Syrian Seleucid rulers.

From Fox News

Hanukkah, which begins Sunday evening, is celebrated for eight days to mark a miraculous batch of consecrated oil used in the Second Temple after the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the second century BCE.

From Washington Times

Also known as the Festival of Lights, Jews celebrate the holiday to commemorate the miracles performed during the Maccabean revolt against Israel's Greek king.

From Fox News

His historical thinking goes back to the destruction of the last Jewish sovereign nation, the Maccabean kingdom at the end of the Second Temple era 2,000 years ago.

From Slate

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023