Meanings
- biblicalA region east of the Jordan river.
Is there—is there balm in Gilead?—tell me—tell me, I implore!
1845 February, — Quarles [pseudonym; Edgar Allan Poe], “The Raven”, in The American Review, volume I, number II, New York, N.Y.; London: Wiley & Putnam, […], →OCLC1 more example
Is there no balme in Gilead? is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recouered?
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Jeremiah 8:22 - A male given name from Hebrew in occasional use.
"That's Gil's name: Gilead Bryan. I'd been assuming it was Gilbert." Nandina stopped stirring the soup and said, "Gilead. Like the song?"
2012, Anne Tyler, The Beginner's Goodbye, Chatto & Windus, →ISBN, pages 92–93 - derogatoryAn illiberal and oppressive place, especially on matters related to women's rights, reproduction, or sex (from the theocratic dystopia in Margaret Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale).
On Tuesday, the ACLU filed an official complaint with Meijer Pharmacy’s CEO for an incident that’s straight out of Gilead.
2018 October 18, Elura Nanos, “‘Good Catholic’ Pharmacist Doesn’t Know Difference Between Miscarriage and Abortion, But He’ll Learn in Court”, in Law & Crime, archived from the original on 13 Nov 20192 more examples
Another wrote: "Just to clarify women who chose not to take their husband's surname or have children with a partner they are not married to will be subject to increased border measures. This is what freedom looks like under a Tory government? Straight out of Gilead."
2018 August 3, Nicola Oakley, Emma Gill, “Parents with different surnames to their kids face questioning at UK airports on family holidays”, in Mirror (UK)"But people often don't understand these things. The same thing would apply, I think, when it comes to feminism, for example: people saying things about women or having views that they shouldn't have. It doesn't mean they're misogynist or straight out of Gilead."
2019 December 22, Barry Egan, quoting Leo Varadkar, “'He makes me laugh. He could get a job writing Christmas cracker jokes'”, in Irish Independent, archived from the original on 11 Mar 2020 - A suburb of Sydney in the Campbelltown council area, New South Wales, Australia.
Origin
- Hebrewגִּלְעָד
- EnglishGilead
From Hebrew גִּלְעָד (gilʻád). For sense 3, the fictional Gilead theocracy from "The Handmaid's Tale" named itself as such because it presented its oppressive policies as "healing" for a fertility crisis.
More words from Hebrew
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek Γαλαάδ
- Γαλαάδ (Galaád)Biblical region east of the Jordan
Catalan Gal·leàs, Galeàs
- Gal·leàsBiblical region east of the Jordan
- GaleàsBiblical region east of the Jordan
Dutch Gilead
- GileadBiblical region east of the Jordan
French Galaad, Guilead
- GalaadBiblical region east of the Jordan
- GuileadBiblical region east of the Jordan
German Gilead
- GileadBiblical region east of the Jordan
Greek Γαλαάδ
- Γαλαάδ (Galaád)Biblical region east of the Jordan
Hebrew גִּלְעָד
- גִּלְעָד (gil'ád)Biblical region east of the Jordan
Italian Galaad
- GalaadBiblical region east of the Jordan
Latin Galaad
- GalaadBiblical region east of the Jordan
Polish Gilead
- GileadBiblical region east of the Jordan
Portuguese Gileade
- GileadeBiblical region east of the Jordan
Russian Галаад, Гилеад
- Галаад (Galaad)Biblical region east of the Jordan
- Гилеад (Gilead)Biblical region east of the Jordan
Spanish Galaad
- GalaadBiblical region east of the Jordan
Yiddish גלעד
- גלעד (giled)Biblical region east of the Jordan
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
Gilead. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gilead
“Gilead.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gilead. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Gilead,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Gilead.
Source: Gilead on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.