Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

miriam

/ˈmɪɹi.əm/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.47 in modern English

Syllables: miri-am
IPA: /ˈmɪɹi.əm/

10

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

3

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

The sister of Moses and Aaron and the daughter of Amram and Jochebed.

name

Synonym of Mary, mother of Jesus, chiefly in contexts emphasizing her historical or Jewish identity.

name

A female given name from Hebrew.

name

Alternative spelling of Meriam.

Example Sentences

"And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances."

Etymology

From Hebrew מִרְיָם (Miryam), possibly from Aramaic מרים (Maryām, “bitter”), from a root מר (m-r) meaning "to be bitter". The meaning of this name which is the Old Testament equivalent of Mary has been debated for centuries. Some other explanations are mutiny / rebellion / disobedience from a root מרי (m-r-y).

Origin

Source language: Hebrew

Word Breakdown

Root: מִרְיָם, מרים

Inflected Forms

Miryam (alternative)

Derived Forms

Mim Mims

Synonyms

Mary mother of Jesus chiefly in contexts emphasizing her historical or Jewish identity

Rhymes With

bacterium delirium myriam imperium deuterium mycobacterium magisterium cerium criterium corynebacterium cyanobacterium puerperium

Questions

How do you pronounce miriam?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɪɹi.əm/.
What does miriam mean?: The sister of Moses and Aaron and the daughter of Amram and Jochebed.
Where does miriam come from?: It is traced to Hebrew.

How to pronounce miriam

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “miriam”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmɪɹi.əm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “miriam”.
Repeat and practice — Say “miriam” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.