Word
matthew
Phoneticsmatthew
/ˈmæθju/
Definitions
01given name
n. a common first name for a man.
n. a common masculine given name of Hebrew origin.
“My brother Matthew is starting university in London this September.”
“Matthew was among the most popular names for boys in the United Kingdom throughout the late twentieth century.”
Synonyms
02biblical figure
n. one of the twelve followers of Jesus, also known as Matthew the Evangelist.
n. one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus, traditionally identified as a former tax collector and the author of the first Gospel.
“The painting shows Matthew sitting at his desk writing his account.”
“In Christian iconography, Matthew is often depicted alongside an angel or a winged man to symbolise his role as an evangelist.”
Synonyms
03book of the Bible
n. the first book in the New Testament of the Bible.
n. the first of the four Gospels in the New Testament, traditionally attributed to Matthew the Apostle.
“The priest read a famous passage from Matthew during the Sunday service.”
“Scholars often compare the narrative structure of Matthew with the other Synoptic Gospels to identify unique theological themes.”
Synonyms
Etymology
From earlier Matheu, from Old French Mathieu, from Latin Matthaeus, from Ancient Greek Ματθαῖος (Matthaîos), from Aramaic מַתַּי (mattay). Compare Hebrew מַתִּתְיָהוּ (mattiṯyāhū, literally “gift of the Lord”). Doublet of Mattathias.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.