rebecca
/ɹɪˈbɛkə/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.96 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
name
A female given name originating from the Bible [in turn from Hebrew], in regular use since the Reformation.
noun
One who protested in the Rebecca Riots; a Rebeccaite.
Example Sentences
- "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."
- "They would say, if 'twas Rebecca, That she is a little Quaker."
- ""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…)"
- "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."
- "Colonel George Rice Trevor testified that the Rebeccas attacked poor-houses as well as tollgates."
Etymology
The Vulgate (Latin) form of biblical Rebekah, from Hebrew רִבְקָה (Rivka, “enchantingly beautiful, captivating, snare”).
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: -, רִבְקָה
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in People.