Jonah

noun

Jo·​nah ˈjō-nə How to pronounce Jonah (audio)
 sense 3 is also  -nər
1
: an Israelite prophet who according to the account in the book of Jonah resisted a divine call to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh, was swallowed and vomited by a great fish, and eventually carried out his mission
2
: a narrative book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture see Bible Table
3
: one believed to bring bad luck

Word History

Etymology

Hebrew Yōnāh

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Jonah was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near Jonah

Cite this Entry

“Jonah.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Jonah. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

Jonah

noun
Jo·​nah ˈjō-nə How to pronounce Jonah (audio)
: a narrative book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture see bible

More from Merriam-Webster on Jonah

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!