Ishmael
WordNet
noun
(1) A person who is rejected (from society or home)
(2) (Old Testament) the son of Abraham who was cast out after the birth of Isaac; considered the forebear of 12 Arabian tribes
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From יִשְׁמָעֵאל (Ishmail), meaning: "God hears or obeys". Standard Yišmaʿel, Tiberian Yišmāʿêl; Arabic: , (Ismā'īl).
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.
- .
Quotations
- 1611 — King James Version of the Bible, Genesis 16:15
- And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.
- 1851 — Herman Melville, Moby-Dick, ch 1
- Call me Ishmael.