ישמעאל

Hebrew

Etymology

From יִשְׁמַע (yishmá', yišmaʿ) +‎ אֵל ('él, ʾēl), literally "God will listen".

The medieval use of "Ishmael" as a term for Muslims was from Islam being from Arabia, as Ishmael was considered as the ancestor of the Arabs.

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /(j)iʃmaˈ(ʔ)el/
• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /jiʃ.mɔ.ejl/, [jiʃ.ˈmɔ.ejl]
• (Sephardi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /jiʃmaˈʕel/
• (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /jiʃmɔˈʕel/
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): [jiʃmɔːˈʕeːl]

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

יִשְׁמָעֵאל • (yishma'él) m

1. (Abrahamism, biblical) Ishmael
2. (Medieval Hebrew) the Muslim world, the Muslims
   • 1140, Yehuda HaLevi, “1:6”, in Judah ben Saul ibn Tibbon, transl., Sefer Kuzari:

     אַחַר כָּךְ אָמַר הַכּוּזָרִי בְלִבּוֹ, אֶשְׁאַל אֱדוֹם וְיִשְׁמָעִאל, כִּי אֶחָד מִשְּׁנֵי הַמַּעֲשִׂים הוּא הַנִּרְצֶה מֵאֵין סָפֵק.

     After this the Khazar said to himself, I will ask the Christians and the Muslims, for one of these two is undoubtedly God's will.

     (literally, “After this the Khazar said in his heart, I will ask Edom and Ishmael, for one of these two actions must be that which is wanted, without a doubt.”)

Coordinate terms

(sense 2)

• אדום (term referring to Christian countries)
• כנען (term referring to Slavic countries)

Descendants

• → Ancient Greek: Ἰσμᾱήλ (Ismāḗl)
  • Greek: Ισμαήλ (Ismaḯl)
  • → Latin: Ismael, Ismāhēl
    • → English: Ismael, Ismahel (obsolete)
    • → French: Ismaël
    • → Icelandic: Ísmael
    • → Portuguese: Ismael
    • → Spanish: Ismael
• → Arabic: إِسْمَاعِيل (ʔismāʕīl), إِسْمٰعِيل (ʔismāʕīl)
  • → Albanian: Ismail
  • → Chinese: 伊斯梅爾 / 伊斯梅尔 (Yīsīméi'ěr) (transliteration)
  • → Classical Persian: اِسْمَاعِیل (ismā'īl)
    • > Tajik: Исмоъил (Ismo'il), Исмоил (Ismoyil) (inherited)
    • → Gujarati: ઇસ્માઇલ (ismāila)
    • → Hindustani:

      Hindi: इसमाईल (ismāīl), इस्माईल (ismāīl)

      Urdu: اِسْمَاعِیل (ismā'īl)

    • → Punjabi:

      Gurmukhi script: ਇਸਮਾਈਲ (isamāīla), ਇਸਮਾਇਲ (isamāila)

      Shahmukhi script: اِسْمَاعِیل (īsmaā‘īl)

  • → English: Ismail
  • → Macedonian: Исмаил (Ismail)
  • → Malay: Ismail
  • → Odia: ଇସମାଇଲ୍ (isamāil), ଇସ୍ମାଇଲ୍ (ismāil)
  • → Russian: Исмаи́л (Ismaíl)
  • → Somali: Ismaaciil
  • → Turkish: İsmail
  • → Ukrainian: Ісмаїл (Ismajil)
• → English: Ishmael, Ismahel, Ismael (obsolete, through Latin)
• → Italian: Ismaele
• → Russian: Измаи́л (Izmaíl), Измаі́лъ (Izmaíl) — pre-1918 spelling