Meanings
- pluralplural of teraph
plural teraphims
- Synonym of teraph.
1658, And […] the Statuæ Isiacæ, Teraphims, and little Idols, found about the Mummies, do make a decussation or Jacobs Crosse with their armes — Sir Thomas Browne, The Garden of Cyrus (Folio Society 2007, p. 191)
2 more examples
And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Judges 18:20Michal took the teraphim, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair at its head, and covered it with the clothes.
2000, World English Bible, 1 Samuel 19:13Synonyms: teraph
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of teraph.
Origin
- Hebrewתְּרָפִים“household gods”
- Ancient Greekθεραφίν
- Latintheraphim
- Englishteraphim
From ecclesiastical Latin theraphim, from Ancient Greek θεραφίν (theraphín), from Hebrew תְּרָפִים (t'rafím, “household gods”).
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek, Hebrew
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
teraphim. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/teraphim
“teraphim.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/teraphim. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “teraphim,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/teraphim.
Source: teraphim on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.