Gilead
English
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Gilead
- /ˈɡɪliæd/
- /ˈɡɪliəd/
Rhymes with -ɪliæd
Where it comes from
From Hebrew גִּלְעָד (gilʻád).
For sense 3, the fictional Gilead theocracy from "The Handmaid's Tale" named itself as such because it presented its oppressive policies as "healing" for a fertility crisis.
proper noun
- A region east of the Jordan river. Is there no balme in Gilead? is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recouered?
- A male given name from Hebrew in occasional use. "That's Gil's name: Gilead Bryan. I'd been assuming it was Gilbert." Nandina stopped stirring the soup and said, "Gilead. Like the song?"
- An illiberal and oppressive place, especially on matters related to women's rights, reproduction, or sex (from the theocratic dystopia in Margaret Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale). Another wrote: "Just to clarify women who chose not to take their husband's surname or have children with a partner they are not married to will be subject to increased border measures. This is what freedom looks like under a Tory government? Straight out of Gilead."
- A suburb of Sydney in the Campbelltown council area, New South Wales, Australia.
Translations
Talk about this word "Gilead." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/gilead. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. Gilead. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/gilead "Gilead." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/gilead.Cite this
@misc{gilead_2026,
title = {Gilead},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/gilead},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
