English Reference

Word

jerusalem

Phoneticsjerusalem

/dʒɝˈusəɫəm/

Definitions

01the city

B1 · Religion

n. an ancient city in the Middle East that is very important to three major religions.

n. a historic city located on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea; it is considered holy in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

“Many people travel to Jerusalem every year to visit its famous religious sites.”

“Jerusalem remains one of the oldest cities in the world, housing sites of profound spiritual importance such as the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock.”

Synonyms

the Holy CityZion

02the poem/hymn

C1 · Music

n. a famous English poem and song often sung at sports events or national celebrations.

n. a poem by William Blake, set to music by Hubert Parry, which serves as a popular patriotic hymn in England.

“The crowd sang Jerusalem loudly before the start of the rugby match.”

“The congregation rose to sing Jerusalem, a piece that has become an unofficial national anthem for many English cultural institutions.”

British English · Formal

Usage

Usually refers to the musical setting of William Blake's poem 'And did those feet in ancient time'.

Synonyms

Etymology

From Old English Hierusalem or Old French Jherusalem or Late Latin Ierusalem, Hierusalem, from Latin Hierosolyma, from Ancient Greek Ἰερουσαλήμ (Ierousalḗm), from Biblical Hebrew יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (Yərūšālayim).

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

Domain

Religion

This entry

Level
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Common
Updated

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English Reference