English Reference

Word

hannah

Phoneticshan·nah

/ˈhænə/

Definitions

01female name

A1

n. a common first name for a girl or woman.

n. a feminine given name of Hebrew origin. It is a palindrome, meaning it is spelled the same way forwards and backwards.

“Hannah is starting her new job at the hospital next Monday.”

“The name Hannah has remained consistently popular in English-speaking countries for decades, partly due to its classic biblical roots.”

02biblical figure

B2 · Religion

n. a woman in the Bible who was the mother of the prophet Samuel.

n. a biblical figure in the Old Testament, identified as the wife of Elkanah and the mother of the prophet Samuel.

“In the Bible, Hannah prayed for a child and later gave birth to Samuel.”

“The Song of Hannah, found in the First Book of Samuel, is considered a significant piece of biblical poetry.”

Etymology

From previous romanizations of Hebrew חַנָּה (Ḥannâ), chiefly for the mother of Samuel, from חַנָּה (ḥannâ, “grace, gracious, graced with child”). As a Wren with the Royal Marines, after Hannah Snell (1723–1792) who disguised herself as a man to serve in the British military. Doublet of Ann, Anne, Anna, and Ana.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
A1 · Beginner
Frequency
Common
Updated

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English Reference