Rebecca
proper nounnouncommon in dialogue
- //ɹɪˈbɛkə//
A female given name originating from the Bible [in turn from Hebrew], in regular use since the Reformation.
proper noun
- 1
A female given name originating from the Bible [in turn from Hebrew], in regular use since the Reformation.
And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
They would say, if 'twas Rebecca, That she is a little Quaker.
"What's her name?" I asked. "Rebecca. Rebecca Valentine." The name Rebecca excited me. I had always wanted to meet a woman called Rebecca—and not Becky. (Rebecca, Ruth, Roxane, Rosalind, Frederika, Ursula, Sheila, Norma, Guinevere, Leonora, Sabina, Malvina, Solange, Deirdre. What wonderful names women had! Like flowers, stars, constellations…)
Our daughter's name, Rebecca, summons up similar visions. Although our family is not Jewish, both names (David and Rebecca) have a Hebrew ancestry which, in the eyes of many beholders ( i.e. teachers ) invokes a vision of a family that values education.
Etymology
The Vulgate (Latin) form of biblical Rebekah, from Hebrew רִבְקָה (Rivka, “enchantingly beautiful, captivating, snare”).
noun
- 1
historicalOne who protested in the Rebecca Riots; a Rebeccaite.
Colonel George Rice Trevor testified that the Rebeccas attacked poor-houses as well as tollgates.
Forms
- plural
- Rebeccas
Rebecca · A female given name originating from the Bible [in turn from Hebrew], in regular use since the Reformation.
Rebekah · The sister of Laban; Isaac's wife; the mother of Jacob and…rebel · A person who resists an established authority, often…Rebel · A Confederate soldier; of the American Civil War.