English Reference

Word

rebecca

Phoneticsre·bec·ca

/ɹəˈbɛkə/

Definitions

01female given name

A1

n. a common name for a girl or woman.

n. a female given name of Biblical origin, derived from the Hebrew name Rivqah.

“Rebecca decided to start her own business after working in marketing for ten years.”

“The name Rebecca has maintained consistent popularity in the United Kingdom since the mid-twentieth century, often appearing in the top name rankings.”

Synonyms

BeckyBecca

02historical protester

C2

n. a person who took part in the Rebecca Riots in Wales during the 1840s.

n. a participant in the Rebecca Riots, a series of social protests against high tolls and poverty in rural Wales between 1839 and 1843.

“The Rebeccas dressed in women's clothes to hide their identities while they destroyed the toll gates.”

“Historical accounts describe how the Rebeccas, often led by men in drag, targeted the symbols of economic oppression in the Welsh countryside.”

Archaic · British English

Usage

Usually capitalized and often used in the plural to refer to the group of rioters.

Synonyms

Rebeccaite

Etymology

The Vulgate (Latin) form of biblical Rebekah, from Hebrew רִבְקָה (Rivka, “enchantingly beautiful, captivating, snare”).

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

This entry

Level
A1 · Beginner
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

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