Isa

See also isa, -isa, Isa., ISA, isä, Isä, -iša, and is-a

English

Etymology 1

From Isabel, Isabella and Isabelle.

Proper noun

Isa

1. A diminutive of the female given name Isabel or of its variant forms, sometimes also used as a formal given name.
   • 1885 Arthur's Home Magazine, Volume 53, page 165:

     Even "Liz" brought little to his memory; though he said: "The name does recall the fact of a sister. But why call her Isa?" "Just as easy as Liz, or any of the lot, Eliza, Elizabeth, Betsy and Bess. Isa, that's, I think, a sort of a city name," Lee said, with a shadow of a smile.

   • 2010 Margaret Forster, Isa & May, Chatto & Windus, ISBN 9780701184667, page 5:

     It's an awkward name: Isamay, pronounced Is-a-may. Isa is my paternal grandmother's name (shortened from Isabel) and May my maternal grandmother's (it comes, somehow, from Margaret). The amalgamation is, as you see, strictly alphabetical. Life, I feel, would have been much easier if they had chosen Maybel.

Etymology 2

Transliteration of Arabic عيسى (ʿīsā) or anglicized from Turkish İsa, both equivalents of Jesus as a given name.

Proper noun

Isa

1. A male given name mainly used by Muslims.