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Abigail
Abigail ♀ Biblical name, meaning ‘father of exaltation’ in Hebrew, borne by one of King David's wives, who had earlier been married to Nabal (1 Samuel 25:3), and by the mother of Absalom's captain Amasa (2 Samuel 1:25). The name first came into general use in Britain in the 16th century, under Puritan influence. It was a common name in literature for a lady's maid, for example in Beaumont and Fletcher's play The Scornful Lady (1616). The biblical Abigail refers to herself as ‘thy servant’ in addressing King David. In Ireland this name has traditionally been used as an Anglicized form of Gobnat, although the reasons for this are not clear. It was popular in the 17th century, especially among Puritans and Nonconformists, and has again enjoyed considerable favour since the 1990s.
Variants: Abigaile, Abbigail, Abbiegail, Ab(b)ygail, Abigayle. Pet forms: Abbie, Abbey, Abby, Abi. |
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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Abigail." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Abigail." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Abigail.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Abigail." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Abigail.html |
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abigail
abigail archaic term for a lady's maid. The term comes in the 17th century from the name of the ‘waiting gentlewoman’ in Beaumont and Fletcher's play of The Scornful Lady; so named possibly in biblical allusion to the expression ‘thine handmaid’ frequently applied to herself by Abigail, future wife of King David (1 Samuel 25:24–31).
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "abigail." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "abigail." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-abigail.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "abigail." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-abigail.html |
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Abigail
Abigail Wife of Nabal; she interceded with David to save her husband's life (1 Sam. 25: 23–31). Nabal was so shocked by the successful intervention that ten days later he died. David then married the ‘intelligent and beautiful’ Abigail.
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W. R. F. BROWNING. "Abigail." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "Abigail." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Abigail.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "Abigail." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Abigail.html |
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Abigail
Abigail , in the Bible. 1 The wife of Nabal. She persuaded David not to take vengeance on her husband. When Nabal died, she married David. 2 David's stepsister, mother of Amasa. |
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"Abigail." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Abigail." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Abigail.html "Abigail." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Abigail.html |
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Abigail
Abigail
•ail, ale, assail, avail, bail, bale, bewail, brail, Braille, chain mail, countervail, curtail, dale, downscale, drail, dwale, entail, exhale, fail, faille, flail, frail, Gael, Gail, gale, Grail, grisaille, hail, hale, impale, jail, kale, mail, male, nail, nonpareil, outsail, pail, pale, quail, rail, sail, sale, sangrail, scale, shale, snail, stale, swale, tail, tale, they'll, trail, upscale, vail, vale, veil, wail, wale, whale, Yale
•Passchendaele • Airedale
•Wensleydale • Clydesdale
•Chippendale • Coverdale • Abigail
•galingale • martingale • nightingale
•farthingale • Windscale • timescale
•blackmail • airmail
•email, female
•Ishmael • voicemail • vermeil
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Cite this article
"Abigail." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Abigail." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Abigail.html "Abigail." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Abigail.html |
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