Rebecca
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -ɛkə
Alternative forms
Origin
The Vulgate (Latin) form of biblical Rebekah, from Hebrew רִבְקָה (Rivka, "enchantingly beautiful, captivating, snare").
Full definition of Rebecca
Proper noun
Rebecca
(plural Rebeccas)- , in regular use since the Reformation.
- Authorized Version|Romans|9|10-12:And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
- 1809 Charles Lamb (writer), Poetry for Children: Choosing a Name:They would say, if 'twas Rebecca,That she is a little Quaker.
- 1949 Henry Miller, Sexus, Grove Press 1965, ISBN 0802151809, page 312:"What's her name?" I asked. "Rebecca. Rebecca Valentine." The name Rebecca excited me. I had always wanted to meet a woman called Rebecca - and not Becky. ( Rebecca, Ruth, Roxane, Rosalind, Frederika, Ursula, Sheila, Norma, Guinevere, Leonora, Sabina, Malvina, Solange, Deirdre. What wonderful names women had! Like flowers, stars, constellations...)
- 1997 Robert T. Tauber, Self-fulfilling Prophecy, Greenwood Publishing Group, ISBN 0275955028, page 61:Our daughter's name, Rebecca, summons up similar visions. Although our family is not Jewish, both names (David and Rebecca) have a Hebrew ancestry which, in the eyes of many beholders ( i.e. teachers ) invokes a vision of a family that values education.
Usage notes
The spelling Rebecca originates from the Latin Vulgate, which from the 4th century onward was the Bible that was used for centuries in Western Christianity. When the King James Version appeared in 1611, the spelling Rebekah was used in the Old Testament, but the spelling Rebecca was retained in the New Testament.