Ishmael
pronunciation
How to pronounce Ishmael in British English:
UK [ˈiʃmeiəl]
How to pronounce Ishmael in American English:
US [ˈɪʃmiəl, -me-]
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- Noun:
- (Old Testament) the son of Abraham who was cast out after the birth of Isaac; considered the forebear of 12 Arabian tribes
- a person who is rejected (from society or home)
Word Origin
- Ishmael
- masc. proper name, biblical son of Abraham and Hagar, from Hebrew Yishma'el, literally "God hears," from yishma, imperf. of shama "he heard." The Arabs claim descent from him. Figurative sense of "an outcast," "whose hand is against every man, and every man's hand against him" is from Gen. xvi:12.
Example
- 1. Abram was eighty-six years old when hagar bore ishmael .
- 2. But according to divine prediction ishmael remained a savage .
- 3. God promised to do four things for ishmael .
- 4. These are the sons of ishmael .
- 5. That very day abraham and his son ishmael were circumcised .