Bethlehem

B3E1T1H4L1E1H4E1M3
/ˈbɛθ.lə.hɛm//ˈbɛθ.li.hɛm/

proper noun

A city in the West Bank, Palestine, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus.

Less commonScrabble 19

Meanings

proper noun
  1. A city in the West Bank, Palestine, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus.

    Now when Ieſus was boꝛne in Bethlehem of Iudea, in the dayes of Herod the king, behold, there came Wiſe men from the Eaſt to Hierusalem,

    1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 2:1
  2. A number of other places around the world:
    1. A hamlet near Rottum, Groningen province, Netherlands.
    2. A town in the Free State province, South Africa.
    3. A quarter of Bümpliz-Oberbottigen, city of Bern, Switzerland.
    4. A small village in Llangadog community, Carmarthenshire, Wales (OS grid ref SN6825).
    5. A hamlet in Rudbaxton community, Pembrokeshire, Wales (OS grid ref SM9820).
    6. A number of other townships in the United States, listed under Bethlehem Township
nounBethlehem (plural Bethlehems)

plural Bethlehems

  1. obsoleteA lunatic asylum.
  2. architectureIn the Ethiopic church, a small building attached to a church edifice, in which the bread for the Eucharist is made.

    The priests and deacons assigned to the service wash their feet and hands, usually near the 'Bethlehem'.

    2014, Bryan D. Spinks, Do this in Remembrance of Me, page 174
    3 more examples

    […] to the Hebrew and Arabic word “korban” as now used in the Abyssinian Church to denote the sacramental bread specially prepared in the “Bethlehem,” or “House of Bread.”

    1869, John Baron, Anglosaxon witness on four alleged requisites for holy communion

    A small building, attached to Ethiopic churches, usually at the eastern end of the sacrarium, in which the deacon prepares and bakes the bread for use in the eucharist. This building is called the Bethlehem, or “house of bread.”

    1882, William Audsley, George Ashdown Audsley, Popular Dictionary of Architecture and the Allied Arts, page 200

    The deacon rings a bell when bread is brought from the bethlehem to the maqdas and at other liturgical times

    2006, Geoffrey Wainwright, Robert Earl Cushman, Karen B. Westerfield Tucker, The Oxford History of Christian Worship, page 143

Origin

  1. Hebrewבֵּית לֶחֶם
  2. Ancient GreekΒηθλεέμ
  3. LatinBēthlehēmum
  4. Old EnglishBethleem
  5. Old FrenchBethleem
  6. Middle EnglishBethleem
  7. EnglishBethlehem

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.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans Bethlehem
  • Bethlehemcity
Ancient Greek Βηθλεέμ
  • Βηθλεέμ (Bēthleém)city
Arabic بَيْت لَحْم
  • بَيْت لَحْم (bayt laḥm)city
Basque Betleem
  • Betleemcity
Bengali বেথেলহাম, বাইত লাহাম
  • বেথেলহাম (betheloham)city
  • বাইত লাহামcity
Bulgarian Витлеем
  • Витлеем (Vitleem)city
Catalan Betlem
  • Betlemcity
Chinese Cantonese 伯利恆 /伯利恒, 白冷
  • 伯利恆 /伯利恒 (baak³ lei⁶ hang⁴)city
  • 白冷 (baak⁶ laang⁵)city
Chinese Mandarin 伯利恆 /伯利恒, 白冷
  • 伯利恆 /伯利恒 (Bólìhéng)city
  • 白冷 (Báilěng)city
Czech Betlém
  • Betlémcity
Danish Betlehem
  • Betlehemcity
Dutch Bethlehem
  • Bethlehemcity
Esperanto Bet-Leĥem
  • Bet-Leĥemcity
Estonian Petlemm
  • Petlemmcity
Finnish Betlehem
  • Betlehemcity
French Bethléem
  • Bethléemcity
German Betlehem
  • Betlehemcity
Greek Βηθλεέμ
  • Βηθλεέμ (Vithleém)city
Hawaiian Betelehema
  • Betelehemacity
Hebrew בֵּית לֶחֶם
  • בֵּית לֶחֶם (bet lékhem)city
Hindi बेथलहम, बैतलहम
  • बेथलहम (bethalham)city
  • बैतलहम (baitalham)city
Hungarian Betlehem
  • Betlehemcity
Icelandic Betlehem
  • Betlehemcity
Indonesian Betlehem
  • Betlehemcity
Irish An Bheithil
  • An Bheithilcity
Italian Betlemme
  • Betlemmecity
Japanese ベツレヘム, ワィフレエム
  • ベツレヘム (Betsurehemu)city
  • ワィフレエム (Wifureemu)city
Korean 베들레헴
  • 베들레헴 (bedeullehem)city
Latin Bēthlehēmum, Bethleem
  • Bēthlehēmumcity
  • Bethleemcity
Latvian Bētleme
  • Bētlemecity
Lithuanian Betliejus
  • Betliejuscity
Malay Baitul Laham, Baitullaham
  • Baitul Lahamcity
  • Baitullahamcity
  • Betlehemcity
Māori Peterehema
  • Peterehemacity
Norwegian Betlehem
  • Betlehemcity
Persian بیت لحم
  • بیت لحم (Beyt-e lahm)city
Polish Betlejem
  • Betlejemcity
Portuguese Belém
  • Belémcity
Romanian Betleem, Viflaim
  • Betleemcity
  • Viflaimcity
Russian Вифлее́м, Бейт-Лехем
  • Вифлее́м (Viflejém)city
  • Бейт-Лехем (Bejt-Lexem)city
  • Бейт-Лахм (Bejt-Laxm)city
Scottish Gaelic Bethlehem
  • Bethlehemcity
Slovak Betlehem
  • Betlehemcity
Spanish Belén
  • Beléncity
Swahili Bethlehemu
  • Bethlehemucity
Swedish Betlehem
  • Betlehemcity
Tagalog Belen, Bethlehem
  • Belencity
  • Bethlehemcity
Tamil பெத்லகேம்
  • பெத்லகேம் (petlakēm)city
Thai เบธเลเฮม
  • เบธเลเฮม (betlehem)city
Turkish Beytüllahim, Betlehem
  • Beytüllahimcity
  • Betlehemcity
Ukrainian Вифлеє́м
  • Вифлеє́м (Vyflejém)city
Urdu بَیْت اَلْلَحَم, بیت لحم
  • بَیْت اَلْلَحَمcity
  • بیت لحمcity
Vietnamese Belem
  • Belemcity
Welsh Bethlehem
  • Bethlehemcity
Yiddish בית לחם
  • בית לחם (beys lekhem)city
Cite this entry
APA

Bethlehem. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bethlehem

MLA

“Bethlehem.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bethlehem. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Bethlehem,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bethlehem.

Source: Bethlehem on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.