Etymology

joseph

J8O1S1E1P3H4

Today it means: One whose chastity is above temptation. Full definition →

Middle English Ioseph ← Biblical Hebrew יוֹסֵף
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

joseph · noun1

Probably in allusion to Joseph's coat of many colours in Genesis 37:3.

Joseph · proper noun, noun2

  1. Biblical Hebrewהוֹסִיף (hosíf)
  2. Biblical Hebrewיוֹסֵף
  3. Middle EnglishIoseph
  4. English todayJoseph

From Middle English Ioseph, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew יוֹסֵף (Yoséf, literally “(God) shall add”); a son of Jacob. Doublet of Yusuf. Noun sense 1 (“one whose chastity is above temptation”) is a reference to the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife in Genesis 39.

Words from the same roots

Biblical Hebrewיוֹסֵף all →

Yusuf

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.