Rachel

American  

[rey-chuhl] / ˈreɪ tʃəl /

noun

1. Jacob's favored wife, the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Genesis 29–35.

2. a female given name.

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Rachel British  

noun

1. Old Testament the second and best-loved wife of Jacob; mother of Joseph and Benjamin (Genesis 29–35)

2. original name Elisa Félix . 1820–58, French tragic actress, famous for her roles in the plays of Racine and Corneille

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Rachel Cultural  

1. The second wife of Jacob (see Jacob and Esau). She was sterile for many years, but eventually had two sons: Joseph (see Joseph and his brothers) and Benjamin.

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Etymology

Origin of Rachel

From Late Latin, from Greek Rhachḗl, from Hebrew rāḥēl “ewe, female lamb”

Example Sentences

She even resisted when Rachel opened a used bookstore several years ago in Southwest Ohio and based her holiday windows on “Little House,” decorated with red mittens and lit-up log cabins.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026

She might even serve Dinty Moore canned beef stew, something an uber-fan like Rachel knows the production team of the original series used instead of traditional frontier meals like squirrel stew.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026

By Rachel Aviv Knopf: 240 pages, $30 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2026

His sister Rachel Antonoff, a designer, followed closely behind in a bubblegum-pink dress.

From BBC • Jul. 3, 2026

It was bad enough that I’d been so oblivious, but Rachel had made him like her.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows