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joseph

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Joseph¹

  • /ˈd͡ʒəʊzɪf/ UK
  • /ˈd͡ʒoʊsəf/ US
  • /ˈd͡ʒoʊzəf/ US
  • /ˈd͡ʒoʊsɪf/ Northeastern, US
  • /ˈd͡ʒoʊzɪf/ Northeastern, US

Rhymes with -əʊsəf, -əʊzɪf

Where it comes from

From Middle English Ioseph, ultimately from Biblical Hebrew יוֹסֵף (Yoséf, literally “(God) shall add”); a son of Jacob. Doublet of Yusuf. Noun sense 1 (“one whose chastity is above temptation”) is a reference to the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife in Genesis 39.

proper noun Josephs · Jos.

  1. countable, uncountable Eleventh and favorite son of Jacob, by his wife Rachel. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
  2. countable, uncountable The husband of Mary, mother of Jesus. Meronym: Holy Family

    Similar: Saint Joseph

  3. countable, uncountable The 12th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.
  4. countable, uncountable Joseph of Arimathea; man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus.
  5. countable, uncountable A male given name from Hebrew. I'm going to call him Joseph / or Josephine if it's a girl. / Why? / Because it's a strong name, / Joe, Joseph. / You give a kid a name like Cameron / or Alfred, or something like that, / and they end up wearing glasses / and looking at computers for the rest of their life. / - - - So Joe it is. / H
  6. countable, uncountable An English surname originating as a patronymic.
  7. countable, uncountable A French surname originating as a patronymic.
  8. countable, uncountable A city in Wallowa County, Oregon; named for Nez Perce chief Hinmatóowyalahtq̓it (called "Chief Joseph" in English).
  9. countable, uncountable A town in Sevier County, Utah; named for Mormon apostle Joseph Angell Young.
  10. countable, uncountable A ghost town in Idaho County, Idaho; named for Hinmatóowyalahtq̓it (Chief Joseph).

noun Josephs · Jos.

  1. One whose chastity is above temptation. And my lady thought you a Joseph!
  2. attributive, humorous, rare, sometimes A coat or other garment of many colours. When summoned to lecture on the following day, he made his appearance in a morning-coat which had been originally of tartan plaid, but sundry repairs of various patterns gave it at once the name of his "Joseph".

joseph²

  • /ˈd͡ʒəʊsəf/ UK
  • /ˈd͡ʒoʊsəf/ US

Rhymes with (Received Pronunciation) -əʊsəf, (US) -oʊsəf

Where it comes from

Probably in allusion to Joseph's coat of many colours in Genesis 37:3.

noun josephs

  1. capitalized, sometimes A woman's riding habit worn in the 18th century with a long cape and buttons running down the front. Some women, I grant, would not appear to advantage seated on a pillion, and attired in a drab joseph and a drab beaver-bonnet . . . travelling on pillions in snowy weather was unpleasant, though a joseph was a great protection . . . these ladies were so taken by surprise at finding such a lovely fac

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: emmanuel, jesus, tom, brant, joe, samuel, yosef, jose, jacques, youssef, yousef, chiao, qiao, yousif, chak, edouard

Translations

Every language

name favorite son of Jacob

EspañolJosé
한국어요셉 Yosep
日本語ヨセフ Yosefu
中文約瑟夫 /约瑟夫 Yuēsèfu
हिन्दीयूसुफ़ yūsuf
PortuguêsJosé
FrançaisJoseph
DeutschJosef, Joseph
ItalianoGiuseppe
ΕλληνικάΙωσήφ Iosíf
RomânăIosif
РусскийИо́сиф Iósif
Tiếng ViệtGiuse, Giô-sép, Yuse
العربيةيُوسُف yūsuf
עבריתיוֹסֵף yoséf

name husband of Virgin Mary

EspañolJosé
한국어요셉 yosep
中文約瑟 /约瑟 Yuēsè, 若瑟 Ruòsè
हिन्दीयूसुफ़ yūsuf
PortuguêsJosé
FrançaisJoseph
DeutschJosef, Joseph
ItalianoGiuseppe
RomânăIosif
РусскийИо́сиф Iósif
Tiếng ViệtGiuse, Giô-sép, Yuse
العربيةيُوسُف yūsuf

name 12th sura of the Qur'an

中文苏拉·优素福 sūlā Yōusùfú
हिन्दीयूसुफ़ yūsuf
Françaissourate Youssouf
Русскийсура Юсуф sura Jusuf
العربيةسورة يوسف
עבריתסורה יוסוף surah Yusuf

name Joseph of Arimathea

EspañolJosé de Arimetea
हिन्दीयूसुफ़ yūsuf
PortuguêsJosé de Arimateia
DeutschJosef von Arimathäa, Joseph von Arimathia
РусскийИо́сиф Аримафе́йский Iósif Arimaféjskij

name male given name — see also Joe

EspañolJosé
한국어조셉 Josep, 유수프 Yusupeu
日本語ジョセフ Josefu, ジョゼフ Jozefu
中文約瑟夫 /约瑟夫 Yuēsèfu
हिन्दीयूसुफ़ yūsuf, जोसेफ़ josef
KiswahiliYusufu
PortuguêsJosé
FrançaisJoseph, José
DeutschJosef, Joseph
ItalianoGiuseppe
ΕλληνικάΙώσηπος Iósipos, Ιωσήφ Iosíf
RomânăIosif
РусскийИо́сиф Iósif, О́сип Ósip, Джо́зеф Džózɛf, Юсу́п Jusúp
العربيةيُوسُف yūsuf, جوزيف jozēf
עבריתיוֹסֵף yoséf, ג׳וזף

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Cite this
MLA

"joseph." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/joseph. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

joseph. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/joseph

Chicago

"joseph." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/joseph.

BibTeX
@misc{joseph_2026,
  title = {joseph},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/joseph},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}