Israel (English)
Where does "Israel" come from?
The English name 'Israel' descends through Middle English and Old English from Latin 'Israel', which was borrowed from Ancient Greek 'Ἰσραήλ'[1][3]. The Greek and Latin forms ultimately derive from Biblical Hebrew 'יִשְׂרָאֵל'[1][2][4]. In the biblical tradition, the name was given to Jacob and was later applied to his descendants and their land[1]. Ancient cognates and related forms appear in Ugaritic, Eblaite, and Egyptian, with the Merneptah Stele from around 1200 B.C.E. containing an early attested form[1].
Open questions
- Line 27 of the Merneptah Stele from about 1200 B.C.E. is thought to contain the earliest attestation of the name Israel. [1]
Full etymology tree
- Israel (English), 'A country in Western Asia in the Middle East, at the eastern shore of the Mediterranean. Official name: State of Israel.'
- inherited Israel (Middle English), 'The Land of Israel; the historical region of Israel.'
- inherited Israēl (Old English)
- borrowed Israel (Latin), 'Israel, another name of the patriarch Jacob'
- borrowed Ἰσραήλ (Israḗl) (Ancient Greek), 'Israel (a name given to the Jewish patriarch Jacob)'
- borrowed יִשְׂרָאֵל (yisra'él) (Biblical Hebrew)
- derived יִשְׂרֶה אֵל (yisré 'él) (Biblical Hebrew)
- borrowed יִשְׂרָאֵל (yisra'él) (Biblical Hebrew)
- borrowed Ἰσραήλ (Israḗl) (Ancient Greek), 'Israel (a name given to the Jewish patriarch Jacob)'
- borrowed Israel (Latin), 'Israel, another name of the patriarch Jacob'
- borrowed Israel (Old French)
- borrowed Israel (Latin), 'Israel, another name of the patriarch Jacob'
- borrowed Ἰσραήλ (Israḗl) (Ancient Greek), 'Israel (a name given to the Jewish patriarch Jacob)'
- borrowed יִשְׂרָאֵל (yisra'él) (Biblical Hebrew)
- derived יִשְׂרֶה אֵל (yisré 'él) (Biblical Hebrew)
- borrowed יִשְׂרָאֵל (yisra'él) (Biblical Hebrew)
- borrowed Ἰσραήλ (Israḗl) (Ancient Greek), 'Israel (a name given to the Jewish patriarch Jacob)'
- borrowed Israel (Latin), 'Israel, another name of the patriarch Jacob'
- inherited Israēl (Old English)
- inherited Israel (Middle English), 'The Land of Israel; the historical region of Israel.'
Ancestors
- Israel (Middle English)
- Israel (Latin)
- Ἰσραήλ (Ancient Greek)
Cognates and doublets
- ysrjꜣr (Egyptian)
- Yisroel (English)
Descendants and derived words
- Anglo-Israelism (English)
- Balian Israel (English)
- Bene Israel (English)
- Beta Israel (English)
- Greater Israel (English)
- Isnotreal (English)
- Isn'treal (English)
- israelane (English)
- Israel Daylight Time (English)
- Israel Destruction Force (English)
- Israel Destruction Forces (English)
- Israel-firster (English)
Related words
Sources
- Israel (English) - Wiktionary
- Israel (Latin) - Wiktionary
- Israel (Middle English) - Wiktionary
- Ἰσραήλ (Israḗl) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
- ישראל (Hebrew) - Wiktionary
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris