Elizabeth

E1L1I1Z10A1B3E1T1H4
/ɪˈlɪzəbəθ/

proper noun

A female given name from Hebrew, popular since the 16th century.

OriginMiddle English Elizabeth ← Ancient Greek Ἐλισάβετ (Elisábet) ← Biblical Hebrew אֱלִישֶׁבַע (ʾĕlîšeḇaʿ) →
CommonScrabble 23
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Meanings

proper nounElizabeth (countable and uncountable, plural Elizabeths)

plural Elizabeths · alternative Elisabeth

  1. countableuncountableA female given name from Hebrew, popular since the 16th century.

    Most happy letters! framed by skilful trade, / With which that happy name was first designed, - - - / Ye three Elizabeths! for ever live, / That three such graces did unto me give.

    1595, Edmund Spenser, Amoretti, section LXXIV
    3 more examples

    "Because if you say it over and over to yourself, darling, it really is a quite strange-sounding name, isn't it? It's just as strange as any other from the Old Testament, Mehetabel or Hepsibah or Shulamith, and any of them might have got to be as fashionable as Elizabeth if a queen had been called by them.

    1988 Barbara Vine ( =Ruth Rendell ), The House of Stairs, p.21

    No one ever called Elizabeth Tannenbaum stunning, but most men found her attractive. Hardly anyone called her Elizabeth, either. An "Elizabeth" was regal, cool, an eyecatching beauty. A "Betsy" was pleasant to look at, a tiny bit overweight, capable, but still fun to be with.

    1993, Phillip Margolin, Gone But Not Forgotten, Bantam Books, →ISBN, page 25

    Davey was found by her daughter, Elizabeth, according to a statement read in court and reported by local paper The Northern Echo. “I went upstairs, my mam’s bedroom door was wide open, and I saw her lying on her back with her head under the bed,” Elizabeth said in court.

    2024 October 14, Issy Ronald, “Woman killed by malfunctioning ottoman bed”, in CNN, archived from the original on 22 Oct 2024
  2. countableuncountableA surname originating as a matronymic.
  3. countableuncountableA suburb of Adelaide, Australia; named for Elizabeth II.
  4. A locale in the United States.
    1. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Arkansas.
    2. countableuncountableA town in Colorado; named for a family member of John Evans, 2nd Governor of the Territory of Colorado.
    3. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Georgia; named for Elizabeth Brown, daughter of Georgia senator Joseph E. Brown.
    4. countableuncountableA village in Illinois; said to be named for three early settlers all named Elizabeth.
    5. countableuncountableA town in Indiana; named for Elizabeth Lemmon Zenor, daughter-in-law of early landowner Jacob Zenor.
    6. countableuncountableA village in Allen Parish, Louisiana.
    7. countableuncountableA city in Minnesota; named for early settler Elizabeth Niggler.
    8. countableuncountableA city, the county seat of Union County, New Jersey; named for Elizabeth de Carteret, wife of George Carteret, one of two original Lords Proprietor of the Colony New Jersey.
    9. countableuncountableA borough in Pennsylvania; named for early settler Elizabeth Mackay Bayard.
    10. countableuncountableA town, the county seat of Wirt County, West Virginia; named for early settler Elizabeth Woodyard Beauchamp.
  5. Places in the Philippines:
    1. countableuncountableA barangay of Dingras, Ilocos Norte, Philippines.
    2. countableuncountableA barangay of Marcos, Ilocos Norte, Philippines, named after Elizabeth Marcos.
    3. countableuncountableA barangay of the municipality of Leyte, province of Leyte, Philippines.

Origin

  1. Proto-Semitic*ʔil-
  2. Biblical Hebrewאֵל (el)
  3. Biblical Hebrewנִשְׁבַּע (nishbá)
  4. Biblical Hebrewאֱלִישֶׁבַע (ʾĕlîšeḇaʿ)
  5. Ancient GreekἘλισάβετ (Elisábet)
  6. Middle EnglishElizabeth
  7. EnglishElizabeth

From Middle English Elizabeth, from the Ancient Greek Ἐλισάβετ (Elisábet), a transliteration of the Old Testament Biblical Hebrew אלישבע (ʔĕlîšeḇaʕ, “my God is an oath”). See El and שבועה. Doublet of Elisheba and Isabel.

More words from Middle English, Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek Ἐλισάβετ
  • Ἐλισάβετ (Elisábet)female given name
Arabic إِلِيزَابِيث, إِلِيصَابَات
  • إِلِيزَابِيث (ʔilīzābīṯ)female given name
  • إِلِيصَابَات (ʔilīṣābāt)female given name
Basque Elixabete
  • Elixabetefemale given name
Bengali এলিজাবেথ
  • এলিজাবেথ (elijabeth)female given name
Bulgarian Елисавета
  • Елисавета (Elisaveta)female given name
Catalan Elisabet
  • Elisabetfemale given name
Chinese Cantonese 伊利沙伯
  • 伊利沙伯 (ji¹ lei⁶ saa¹ baak³)female given name
Chinese Mandarin 伊麗莎白 /伊丽莎白
  • 伊麗莎白 /伊丽莎白 (Yīlìshābái)female given name
Czech Alžběta
  • Alžbětafemale given name
Danish Elisabeth
  • Elisabethfemale given name
Dutch Elisabeth, Elizabeth
  • Elisabethfemale given name
  • Elizabethfemale given name
Esperanto Elizabeto
  • Elizabetofemale given name
Estonian Liis
  • Liisfemale given name
Finnish Liisa, Elisabet
  • Liisafemale given name
  • Elisabetfemale given name
French Élisabeth, Isabelle
  • Élisabethfemale given name
  • Isabellefemale given name
  • Élisefemale given name
  • Lisefemale given name
  • Lisafemale given name
  • Élisafemale given name
German Elisabeth
  • Elisabethfemale given name
Greek Ελισάβετ, Ισαβέλλα
  • Ελισάβετ (Elisávet)female given name
  • Ισαβέλλα (Isavélla)female given name
Hawaiian ʻElikapeka
  • ʻElikapekafemale given name
Hebrew אלישבע \ אֱלִישֶׁבַע
  • אלישבע \ אֱלִישֶׁבַע (elishéva)female given name
Hindi एलिजाबेथ, इसाबेला
  • एलिजाबेथ (elijābeth)female given name
  • इसाबेला (isābelā)female given name
Hungarian Erzsébet
  • Erzsébetfemale given name
Icelandic Elísabet
  • Elísabetfemale given name
Indonesian Elisabet
  • Elisabetfemale given name
Irish Eilís, Eibhlís
  • Eilísfemale given name
  • Eibhlísfemale given name
  • Éilisfemale given name
  • Isibéalfemale given name
Italian Elisabetta
  • Elisabettafemale given name
Japanese エリザベス
  • エリザベス (Erizabesu)female given name
Korean 엘리자베스
  • 엘리자베스 (Ellijabeseu)female given name
Latin Isabella, Elisabeth
  • Isabellafemale given name
  • Elisabethfemale given name
Latvian Elizabete
  • Elizabetefemale given name
Lithuanian Elžbieta
  • Elžbietafemale given name
Māori Irihāpeti
  • Irihāpetifemale given name
Norwegian Elisabeth
  • Elisabethfemale given name
Polish Elżbieta
  • Elżbietafemale given name
Portuguese Elisabete, Isabel
  • Elisabetefemale given name
  • Isabelfemale given name
Romanian Elisabeta
  • Elisabetafemale given name
Russian Елизаве́та, Эли́забет
  • Елизаве́та (Jelizavéta)female given name
  • Эли́забет (Elízabet)female given name
Scottish Gaelic Ealasaid
  • Ealasaidfemale given name
Slovak Alžbeta
  • Alžbetafemale given name
Spanish Isabel
  • Isabelfemale given name
Swedish Elisabet, Elisabeth
  • Elisabetfemale given name
  • Elisabethfemale given name
Tamil எலிசபெத்
  • எலிசபெத் (elicapet)female given name
Ukrainian Елі́забет, Єлизаве́та
  • Елі́забет (Elízabet)female given name
  • Єлизаве́та (Jelyzavéta)female given name
  • Єлисаве́та (Jelysavéta)female given name
  • Елізабе́т (Elizabét)female given name
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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