Tarshish

T1A1R1S1H4I1S1H4
Canada/ˈtɑɹʃɪʃ/

proper noun

The biblical name for Andalusia, from which was imported vast quantities of important metals to Phoenicia and Israel. Identical with Ancient Greek Ταρτησσός (Tartēssós, “Tartessos”).

OriginBiblical Hebrew תַּרְשִׁישׁ →
UncommonScrabble 14
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. The biblical name for Andalusia, from which was imported vast quantities of important metals to Phoenicia and Israel. Identical with Ancient Greek Ταρτησσός (Tartēssós, “Tartessos”).

    “And now the time of tide has come; the ship casts off her cables; and from the deserted wharf the uncheered ship for Tarshish, all careening, glides to sea.

    1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 9, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC
    2 more examples

    Now the word of the Lord came vnto Ionah the sonne of Amittai, saying, Arise, goe to Nineueh that great citie, and cry against it: for their wickednes is come vp before me. But Ionah rose vp to flee vnto Tarshish, from the presence of the Lord, and went downe to Ioppa, and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he payed the fare thereof, and went downe into it, to goe with them vnto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

    1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Jonah 1:1–3

    There remain now only the colonies of Tarſhiſh to be ſpoken of. And whereſoever elſe they ſeated themſelves, it is highly probable, that Tarteſſus, a city and adjoining country in Spain, and much celebrated by the ancients for its wealth, was a colony of Tarſhiſh. For the name Tarſhiſh is, by an eaſy and frequent change, turned into Tartiſh ; from whence Tarteſſus is regularly enough framed.

    1708, Edward Wells, An Historical Geography of the Old and New Testament: In Two Volumes, volume I, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1809, →OCLC, page 75

Origin

  1. Biblical Hebrewתַּרְשִׁישׁ
  2. EnglishTarshish

Borrowed from Biblical Hebrew תַּרְשִׁישׁ.

More words from Biblical Hebrew

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Hindi तर्शीश
  • तर्शीश (tarśīś)Translations
Polish Tarszisz
  • TarsziszTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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