Ishtar

[ ish-tahr ]

noun

1. the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of love and war, identified with the Phoenician Astarte, the Semitic Ashtoreth, and the Sumerian Inanna.

Ishtar

/ ˈɪʃtɑː /

noun

1. the principal goddess of the Babylonians and Assyrians; divinity of love, fertility, and war

Word History and Origins

Origin of Ishtar¹

First recorded in 1800–10; from East Semitic (Akkadian), corresponding to West Semitic (Phoenician) Astarte; Ashtoreth ( def ), Astarte ( def ), Aphrodite ( def )

Example Sentences

“Ishtar” has stubbornly clung to its reputation as a very expensive disaster; the title became a talk-show punchline and May never directed another Hollywood film.

From Los Angeles Times

In October comments to the French news publication L’Obs, the “Ishtar” star said the money was a genuine loan.

From Los Angeles Times

“What is really being revealed in this conflict, this debate, is how polarized Mexican society is,” said National University sociologist Ishtar Cardona Cardona, who has reviewed most of the textbooks available so far.

From Seattle Times

The destroyed buildings included a modern reconstruction of the Temple of Ishtar that encased original historic remains.

From Science Magazine

Now, researchers sifting through the rubble have unearthed previously unknown artifacts from a ruined temple dedicated to Ishtar, the Mesopotamian goddess of love and war.

From Science Magazine