Uriah

English

Etymology

From Biblical Hebrew אוּרִיָּה ('ūriyyā, literally “God is my light”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jʊəˈɹaɪə/

Proper noun

Uriah

1. Any of a number of Old Testament men, including the husband of Bathsheba whom David sent to death.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Samuel 11:15:

     And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.

   • 2014, Jimmy Carter, “Full Prisons and Legal Killing”, in A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power‎^[1], Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 39:

     Some devout Christians are among the most fervent advocates of the death penalty, contradicting Jesus Christ and misinterpreting Holy Scriptures and numerous examples of mercy. We remember God’s forgiveness of Cain, who killed Abel, and the adulterer King David, who arranged the killing of Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, his lover.

2. (rather rare) A male given name from Hebrew of Biblical origin.
   • 1869, Charles Dickens, David Copperfield, Chapter XXXV:

     but the thing that struck me most, was, that with the evidences of his native superiority still upon him, he should submit himself to that crawling impersonation of meanness, Uriah Heep.

Synonyms

• Urias

Derived terms

• Uriah Heep

Translations

biblical character

• Arabic: أُورْيَا m (ʔūryā)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 尤賴亞／尤赖亚 (Yóulàiyà)

• Czech: Urijáš m, Uriáš m
• Danish: Urias
• Dutch: Uria m
• Estonian: Uurija
• Finnish: Uria, Uuria
• French: Urie m
• German: Uria m, Urija m
• Hebrew: אוּרִיָּה (he) (uriyya)
• Italian: Uria m
• Japanese: ウリヤ (Uriya)
• Latin: Ūrīās m
• Polish: Uriasz (pl) m
• Portuguese: Urias m
• Russian: У́рия (ru) m (Úrija)
• Spanish: Urías m

male given name

• Hebrew: אוּרִיָּה (he) (uriyá)
• Italian: Uria m
• Polish: Uriasz (pl) m

Anagrams

• rahui