Ishmael

English

Alternative forms

• Ismahel, Ismael (obsolete, through Latin)

Etymology

From Hebrew יִשְׁמָעֵאל (yishma'él (yišmāʿēl), “God hears, God will hear”). Doublet of Ismail.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪʃ.meɪ.əl/, /ˈɪʃ.meɪl/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

Proper noun

Ishmael

2. (Abrahamism, biblical) The eldest son of Abraham and his wife's handmaiden Hagar who were cast out after the birth of Isaac; traditionally the ancestor of the Arabs via the Ishmaelites.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 16:15, column 1:

     And Hagar bare Abram a ſonne: and Abram called his ſonnes name, which Hagar bare, Iſhmael.

3. A male given name from Hebrew.
   • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “Loomings”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 1:

     Call me Ishmael.

Derived terms

• St Ishmael

Related terms

• Ismail

Translations

eldest son of Abraham

• Arabic: إِسْمَاعِيل m (ʔismāʕīl)
• Aramaic:

  Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܐܝܼܫܡܲܥܹܝܠ m (īšmaˁēl)

• Bengali: ইসমাঈল (ismail)
• Catalan: Ismael
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 以實瑪利 / 以实玛利 (Yǐshímǎlì), 依市瑪耳 / 依市玛耳 (Yīshìmǎ'ěr) (Catholic)

• Comorian:

  Maore Comorian: Ismaila

• Dutch: Ismaël m
• Ewe: Ismael m
• Finnish: Ismael
• French: Ismaël (fr) m
• German: Ismael (de) m
• Greek: Ισμαήλ (el) m (Ismaḯl)

  Ancient Greek: Ἰσμαήλ m (Ismaḗl)

• Hausa: Isma'ilu
• Hebrew: יִשְׁמָעֵאל (he) m (yishma'él)
• Hindi: इश्माएल (hi) m (iśmāel)
• Hungarian: Izmael (hu)
• Irish: Ísmeáéil m
• Italian: Ismaele
• Japanese: イシュマエル (Ishumaeru)
• Kazakh: Ысмайыл (Ysmaiyl)
• Korean: 이스마엘 (Iseuma'el)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: Simayil (ku) m

• Latin: Ismahel m, Ismael m
• Macedonian: Исмаил m (Ismail)
• Malay: Ismail (used by Muslims), Ismael (used by Christians)
• Marathi: इसमाईल m (ismāīl)
• Persian: اسماعیل (fa) (esmâ'il)
• Polish: Izmael m
• Portuguese: Ismael m
• Rohingya: Ismail
• Russian: Измаи́л (ru) m (Izmaíl), Исмаи́л (ru) m (Ismaíl)
• Scottish Gaelic: Ismael m
• Somali: Ismaaciil
• Spanish: Ismael (es) m
• Swedish: Ismael
• Tagalog: Ismael
• Tajik: Исмоил (tg) (Ismoyil)
• Tamil: இஸ்மாயீல் (ta) (ismāyīl), இஸ்மவேல் (ismavēl)
• Turkish: İsmail (tr)

male given name

• Aramaic:

  Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܐܝܼܫܡܲܥܹܝܠ m (īšmaˁēl)

• Bengali: ইসমাঈল (ismail)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 伊什梅爾 / 伊什梅尔 (Yīshíméi'ěr) (from English), 伊斯梅爾 / 伊斯梅尔 (Yīsīméi'ěr) (from Arabic, Spanish)

• Ewe: Ismael m
• Finnish: Ismo (fi)
• Galician: Ismael (gl) m
• Hausa: Isma'ilu
• Hindi: इसमाईल (hi) m (ismāīl)
• Hungarian: Izmael (hu)
• Kazakh: Ысмайыл (Ysmaiyl)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: Îsmaîl (ku) m, Simaîl (ku) m, Simo (ku) m, Simko (ku) m

• Macedonian: Исмаил m (Ismail)
• Malay: Ismail
• Marathi: इशमेल m (iśmel), इसमाईल m (ismāīl)
• Persian: اسماعیل (fa) (esmâ'il)
• Portuguese: Ismael m
• Russian: Измаи́л (ru) m (Izmaíl), Исмаи́л (ru) m (Ismaíl)
• Somali: Ismaaciil
• Spanish: Ismael (es) m
• Turkish: İsmail (tr)

Noun

Ishmael (plural Ishmaels)

1. An outcast.
   • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 1, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 1:

     Call me Ishmael. Some years ago — never mind how long precisely — having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen, and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off — then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship. There is nothing surprising in this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me.

   • 1932, Frank Richards [pen name], “Bunter's Night Out”, in The Magnet:

     His new friend was evidently a young Ishmael — his hand against every man and every man's hand against him.

Anagrams

• Melisha, misheal