English
Jonah
Jonah comes from Hebrew יוֹנָה ‘dove’, and goes back to Proto-Semitic *šawmān-.
- Proto-Semiticc. 4000–3000 BCE*šawmān-‘dove’root as named · steps between not traced
- Hebrew1880s–presentיוֹנָהyônâh‘dove’
- Englishearliest quotation 1979Jonah
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Semiticc. 4000–3000 BCE*šawmān-‘dove’root as named · steps between not traced
- Hebrew1880s–presentיוֹנָהyônâh‘dove’
- Englishearliest quotation 1979Jonah
Earliest quotation: 1979, John Le Carré, Smiley's People: “‘My first agent, and he's dead. It's incredible. I…”
Every English word from Proto-Semitic *šawmān-
Today it means
name A male given name from Hebrew.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Semitic *šawmān- / Jonah