Ishmael
/ˈɪʃ.meɪ.əl/
Ishmael proper noun: the eldest son of Abraham and his wife's handmaiden Hagar who were cast out after the birth of Isaac; traditionally the ancestor of the Arabs via the Ishmaelites.
Proper noun
Ishmael
- The eldest son of Abraham and his wife's handmaiden Hagar who were cast out after the birth of Isaac; traditionally the ancestor of the Arabs via the Ishmaelites.
- And Hagar bare Abram a ſonne: and Abram called his ſonnes name, which Hagar bare, Iſhmael.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 16:15, column 1
- A male given name from Hebrew.
- Call me Ishmael.1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “Loomings”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 1
Noun
Ishmael (plural Ishmaels)
- An outcast.
- Call me Ishmael. Some years ago — never mind how long precisely — having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen, and regulating the...1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 1, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 1
- His new friend was evidently a young Ishmael — his hand against every man and every man's hand against him.1932, Frank Richards [pen name], “Bunter's Night Out”, in The Magnet
Ishmael meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu
Ishmael in Hindi
- eldest son of Abraham
- इश्माएल iśmāel, इस्माइल ismāil
- male given name
- इश्मेयल iśmeyal
Ishmael in Tamil
- eldest son of Abraham
- இஸ்மாயீல் ismāyīl, இஸ்மவேல் ismavēl
Ishmael in Marathi
- eldest son of Abraham
- इसमाईल ismāīl
- male given name
- इशमेल iśmel, इसमाईल ismāīl
Ishmael in Urdu
- eldest son of Abraham
- اِسْمَاعِیل ismā'īl
- male given name
- اِسْمَاعِیل ismā'īl
More languagesFewer languages
- Ishmael in Bengali
- ইসমাঈল ismail
- Ishmael in Tagalog
- Ismael
- Ishmael in Arabic
- إِسْمَاعِيل ʔismāʕīl
- Ishmael in Malay
- Ismail, Ismael
- Ishmael in Persian
- اسماعیل esmâ'il
Forms of Ishmael
| Proper noun | |
|---|---|
| alternative form | Ismahel |
| alternative form | Ismael |
| Noun | |
| plural | Ishmaels |
Origin of Ishmael
From Hebrew יִשְׁמָעֵאל (yishma'él (yišmāʿēl), “God hears, God will hear”). Doublet of Ismail.
Words formed from Ishmael
Phrases with Ishmael
Questions about Ishmael
- What does Ishmael mean?
- Ishmael means the eldest son of Abraham and his wife's handmaiden Hagar who were cast out after the birth of Isaac; traditionally the ancestor of the Arabs via the Ishmaelites.
- What is Ishmael in Hindi?
- Ishmael in Hindi is इश्माएल (iśmāel), इस्माइल (ismāil), इश्मेयल (iśmeyal). See Ishmael meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is Ishmael?
- Ishmael can be a proper noun or a noun.
- How do you pronounce Ishmael?
- Ishmael is pronounced /ˈɪʃ.meɪ.əl/.
Words near Ishmael in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: Ishmael (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-JutishMale-Ishmael.wav.
Cite this entry: “Ishmael.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/ishmael. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.