Nineveh
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Nineveh
- /ˈnɪnɪvə/
- /ˈnɪnəvə/
Where it comes from
From Old English Niniuea (under influence from Biblical Hebrew נִינְוֵה (nīnəwē)), from Latin Nīnevē, from Ancient Greek Νινευή (Nineuḗ), ultimately from Akkadian 𒌷𒉌𒉡𒀀 𒀏 (/Ninua/) or Old Babylonian 𒌷𒉌𒉡𒀀 (/Ninuwā/) of uncertain origin, but is clearly a variation of 𒀏 (/ninâ/, “fish”). The cuneiform seems to denote "House of Fish", although whether this referred to literal fish, an aspect of Ishtar, a separate Hurrian goddess, or something else entirely is unclear.
The traditional folk etymology in classical antiquity derived it from an eponymous founder Ninus (Greek: Νίνος (Nínos)).
proper noun
- The capital of ancient Assyria, now Mosul, Iraq.
- A governorate in Northern Iraq.
Similar: Mosul
Thesaurus
proper noun
Similar: Mosul
Translations
Talk about this word "Nineveh." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/nineveh. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. Nineveh. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/nineveh "Nineveh." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/nineveh.Cite this
@misc{nineveh_2026,
title = {Nineveh},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/nineveh},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
