Jezebel

See also: jezebel

English

WOTD – 20 November 2009

Etymology

Borrowed from Hebrew אִיזֶבֶל ('izével).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛzəˌbɛl/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Proper noun

Jezebel

1. (biblical) The Phoenician princess and Queen of Ancient Israel who appears in the Old Testament (1 Kings & 2 Kings). She incited heresy and lured the Jews away from their God and back to idols.
   • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter XI, in Jeeves in the Offing:

     “I know if anyone called me a carrot-topped Jezebel, umbrage is the first thing I'd take. Who was Jezebel, by the way? The name seems familiar, but I can't place her.” “A character in the Old Testament, sir. A queen of Israel.” “Of course, yes. Be forgetting my own name next. Eaten by dogs, wasn't she?” “Yes, sir.” “Can't have been pleasant for her.” “No, sir.” “Still, that's the way the ball rolls.”

Translations

Biblical character Jezebel

• Arabic: يَزَابِل f (yazābil)
• Armenian: Հեզաբել (Hezabel)

  Old Armenian: Յեզաբէլ (Yezabēl)

• Catalan: Jezabel f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 耶洗别 (Yēxǐbié), 依則貝耳／依则贝耳 (Yīzébèi'ěr) (Catholic)

• Dutch: Izebel f
• Finnish: Isebel
• French: Jézabel (fr) f, Jezebel f
• German: Isebel f
• Greek: Ιεζάβελ (el) f (Iezável)

  Ancient: Ἰεζάβελ (Iezábel)

• Hebrew: אִיזֶבֶל
• Italian: Gezabele f, Izebel f
• Japanese: イゼベル (Izeberu)
• Kazakh: Езабел (Ezabel)
• Latin: Hiezabel f
• Lithuanian: Jezebelė f
• Maore Comorian: Jezebeli
• Norwegian: Jesabel f
• Polish: Izebel f
• Portuguese: Jezabel f, Jezebel f
• Russian: Иезавель f (Ijezavelʹ)
• Spanish: Jezabel f
• Swedish: Jisebel f, Jezebel f, Isebel f

Noun

Jezebel (plural Jezebels)

1. (derogatory) A woman who is evil, scheming, shameless, or immoral.

   She’s an absolute Jezebel!

   • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, “X&XI”, in Jeeves in the Offing:

     I accused her in set terms of giving me the heave-ho in order that she could mercenarily marry a richer man. I called her a carrot-topped Jezebel whom I was thankful to have got out of my hair. […] “The core of the matter is,” I said, twiddling the wheel to avoid a passing hen, “that in Roberta Wickham we are dealing with a girl of high and haughty spirit. […] And girls of high and haughty spirit need kidding along. This cannot be done by calling them carrot-topped Jezebels.”

   • 1971, Rod Stewart with Faces, Stay with Me:

     Red lips, hair, and fingernails
     I hear you're a mean old Jezebel

2. Any of various pierid butterflies of the genus Delias.

Derived terms

• Jezebel sauce

Translations

an immoral woman

• Finnish: lutka (fi), lunttu (fi)
• French: Agrippine (fr) f
• Lithuanian: ištvirkėlė f, paleistuvė f

Portuguese

Proper noun

Jezebel f

1. a female given name