Sodom

So·dom
S1O1D2O1M3
UK/ˈsɒ.dəm/US/ˈsɑ.dəm/

proper noun

A city in the Middle East which, according to the Bible and Islamic tradition (but not specifically named in the Qur'an), was destroyed by God (along with Gomorrah) for the sins of its inhabitants (especially the implied homosexuality of the men).

OriginOld English Sodome ← Ancient Greek Σόδομα ← Biblical Hebrew סְדֹם →
Less commonScrabble 8
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. biblicalA city in the Middle East which, according to the Bible and Islamic tradition (but not specifically named in the Qur'an), was destroyed by God (along with Gomorrah) for the sins of its inhabitants (especially the implied homosexuality of the men).
  2. obsoleteOxford University slangWadham College, Oxford.
nounSodom (plural Sodoms)

plural Sodoms

  1. A city or place full of sin and vice.

    Take all idea of retribution and punishment out of the hearts and minds of men, and it would not be long before Brooklyn and New York and Boston and Charleston and Chicago became Sodoms.

    1890, Thomas De Witt Talmage, Trumpet Peals, page 92

Origin

  1. Biblical Hebrewסְדֹם
  2. Ancient GreekΣόδομα
  3. Old EnglishSodome
  4. EnglishSodom

Partially from Old English Sodome, Sodoma, partially from Ancient Greek Σόδομα (Sódoma), from the Biblical Hebrew סְדֹם (s'dóm). (Wadham College): Chosen for the rhyme.

More words from Old English, Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek Σόδομα, Σόδομα
  • Σόδομα (Sódoma)city in the Middle East
  • Σόδομα (Sódoma)city in the Middle East
Arabic سَدُوم, صَدِيم
  • سَدُوم (sadūm)city in the Middle East
  • صَدِيم (ṣadīm)city in the Middle East
Catalan Sodoma
  • Sodomacity in the Middle East
Chinese Cantonese 所多瑪 /所多玛, 索多瑪 /索多玛
  • 所多瑪 /所多玛city in the Middle East
  • 索多瑪 /索多玛 (sok³ do¹ maa⁵)city in the Middle East
Chinese Mandarin 所多瑪 /所多玛, 索多瑪 /索多玛
  • 所多瑪 /所多玛 (Suǒduōmǎ)city in the Middle East
  • 索多瑪 /索多玛 (Suǒduōmǎ)city in the Middle East
Estonian Soodom
  • Soodomcity in the Middle East
Finnish Sodoma
  • Sodomacity in the Middle East
French Sodome
  • Sodomecity in the Middle East
German Sodom
  • Sodomcity in the Middle East
Greek Σόδομα
  • Σόδομα (Sódoma)city in the Middle East
Hebrew סְדוֹם
  • סְדוֹם (s'dóm)city in the Middle East
Hindi सदोम
  • सदोम (sadom)city in the Middle East
Hungarian Szodoma
  • Szodomacity in the Middle East
Italian Sodoma
  • Sodomacity in the Middle East
Japanese ソドム
  • ソドム (Sodomu)city in the Middle East
Korean 소돔
  • 소돔 (Sodom)city in the Middle East
Latin Sodoma
  • Sodomacity in the Middle East
Persian سدوم
  • سدوم (sadum)city in the Middle East
Polish Sodoma
  • Sodomacity in the Middle East
Portuguese Sodoma
  • Sodomacity in the Middle East
Russian Содо́м
  • Содо́м (Sodóm)city in the Middle East
Spanish Sodoma
  • Sodomacity in the Middle East
Turkish Sodom
  • Sodomcity in the Middle East
Ukrainian Содо́м
  • Содо́м (Sodóm)city in the Middle East
Cite this entry
APA

Sodom. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sodom

MLA

“Sodom.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sodom. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Sodom,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sodom.

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