Salome

American  

[suh-loh-mee, sal-uh-mey] / səˈloʊ mi, ˈsæl əˌmeɪ /

Or Salomé

noun

1. the daughter of Herodias, who is said to have danced for Herod Antipas and so pleased him that he granted her mother's request for the head of John the Baptist. Matthew 14:6–11 (not mentioned by name here).

2. (italics) a one-act opera (1905) by Richard Strauss based on a drama by Oscar Wilde.

3. a female given name.

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Salome British  

/ səˈləʊmɪ /

noun

1. New Testament the daughter of Herodias, at whose instigation she beguiled Herod by her seductive dancing into giving her the head of John the Baptist

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Salome Cultural  

1. According to nonbiblical historians, the stepdaughter of Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, who arranged for the beheading of John the Baptist. Her name is not given in the Gospels.

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Etymology

Origin of Salome

From Greek Salṓmē, from Hebrew Shălōmīth, related to shālōm “peace”

Example Sentences

She’s taken, perversely, with John the Baptist, imprisoned in a cistern and prophesying doom for the decadent, Godless heathens, Salome in particular.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

In the foreground, the midwife, known from Byzantine tradition as Salome, meets Joseph’s eyes as she steadies the water he pours into the baby’s bathtub.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

The former head of an opposition TV channel, Gvaramia spent 13 months in jail for abuse of authority, but he was pardoned in June 2023 by pro-Western President Salome Zourabichvili.

From BBC • Dec. 4, 2024

President Salome Zourabichvili has promised to veto the bill.

From New York Times • May 14, 2024

The year was 1905, the place Dresden, the opera Salome.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall