Etymology

Bethlehem

B3E1T1H4L1E1H4E1M3

Today it means: A lunatic asylum. Full definition →

Middle English Bethleem ← Old French Bethleem ← Old English Bethleem
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The story

  1. Hebrew · derived fromבֵּית לֶחֶם
  2. Ancient Greek · derived fromΒηθλεέμ
  3. Latin · derived fromBēthlehēmum
  4. Old English · derived fromBethleem
  5. Old French · derived fromBethleem
  6. Middle English · inherited fromBethleem
  7. English todayBethlehem

Inherited from Middle English Bethleem, from Old French Bethleem and Old English Bethleem, from Latin Bēthlehēmum, from Ancient Greek Βηθλεέμ (Bēthleém), from Hebrew בֵּית לֶחֶם (bēṯ lɛ́ḥɛm, literally “house of bread”). Doublet of bedlam and Belém.

Words from the same roots

Ancient GreekΒηθλεέμ all →

bedlam

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.