Deborah

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈdÉ›bəɹə/

Alternative forms

• (as a given name) Debra, Debora

Origin

From Hebrew דְבוֹרָה (dvorá), meaning bee.

Full definition of Deborah

Proper noun

1. A judge of Israel; a nurse of Rebecca.
• Authorized Version|Judges|4|4:And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.
2. , popular from the 1940s to the 1970s, first in the USA, then in the UK.
• 1851 James Brayshay: The Protector of Houghall, Or the Lily and the Rose. Groombridge and Sons, 1851. Act I:Rapier. Heigho! Deborah! it's an ugly name, a damnable name - the name I mean! - it sounds like Gomorrah! Deb! Debby! - worse still - sounded sharp now I rather like it! - Deborah! Deborah! Deborah!
• 1995 Carl Hiaasen: Stormy Weather. Alfred A.Knopf,Inc. ISBN 0679419829 page 256:He hadn't known, for example, that her middle name was Deborah. It was a name he liked: plucky, Midwestern and reliable-sounding. He was willing to bet that if you went through every women's prison in America, you wouldn't find a half-dozen Deborahs.

Related terms

• Deb
• Debbie
• Debby