samuel
n. countablen. a common name for a man or a boy. It comes from an old Hebrew name that means 'God has heard'.
n. a masculine given name of Hebrew origin. In a biblical context, it refers to a significant prophet and judge in the Old Testament.
My friend Samuel is coming to the party tonight.
The teacher called on Samuel to answer the question about the history of the city.
In the biblical narrative, Samuel is portrayed as a pivotal figure who transitions the Israelites from the era of judges to the establishment of the monarchy.
From Latin Samuēl, from Ancient Greek Σαμουήλ (Samouḗl), from Biblical Hebrew שְׁמוּאֵל (šəmûʾēl, literally “'God has set' or 'God has placed'”). Taken to mean a contraction of popular folk etymology שְׁאִלְתִּיו מֵאֵל (“I have asked/borrowed him from God”) (Modern: Šəʾīltīv mēʾĒl, Tiberian: Šĭʾīltīw mēʾĒl) by way of שָׁאוּל מֵאֵל (“asked/borrowed from God”) from 1 Samuel 1:20.
As a proper noun, it is almost always capitalized.