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

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

At the defiant Wildean center is infamous Salome, Herod’s manipulative stepdaughter.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2025

Salome Zourabichvili was born in France in 1952 into a prominent family of Georgian émigrés.

From BBC • Dec. 27, 2024

“It’s teamwork. The spellers work very hard together,” said Salome Dzakpasu, the Ghanian program director.

From Seattle Times • May 28, 2024

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

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall