Belshazzar

American  

[bel-shaz-er] / bɛlˈʃæz ər /

noun

1. a prince of Babylon, son of Nabonidus and co-regent with him, referred to in the Bible as a king of Babylon and son of Nebuchadnezzar.

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Belshazzar British  

/ bɛlˈʃæzə /

noun

1. 6th century _bc , the son of Nabonidus, coregent of Babylon with his father for eight years: referred to as king and son of Nebuchadnezzar in the Old Testament (Daniel 5:1, 17; 8:1); described as having received a divine message of doom written on a wall at a banquet ( Belshazzar's Feast )

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Etymology

Origin of Belshazzar

From Hebrew Belshaṣṣar, from Akkadian Bēl-shar-uṣur “may Bel guard the king”

Example Sentences

The passage was about King Belshazzar of ancient Babylon, who was feasting when mysterious fingers of a hand wrote on the wall of his imminent destruction.

From New York Times • Jul. 1, 2022

Another Maius illumination shows the Babylonian ruler Belshazzar, despised as a tyrant in Jewish tradition, feasting in a Muslim-style palace.

From New York Times • Feb. 3, 2022

Step back into the distant past with this musical play about Daniel’s confrontation of Belshazzar — composed eight centuries ago in Beauvais, France, and now staged by early-music authority Anne Azéma.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 27, 2019

The singers were adequate to excellent on Friday, the most notable being James Ruff as Daniel, Peter Walker as Belshazzar and Habakkuk, and Sarah Pillow as Belshazzar’s queen and Habakkuk’s angel.

From New York Times • Dec. 30, 2013

Belshazzar did not stir; neither did he take his eyes from her as she moved across the room.

From Istar of Babylon A Phantasy by Potter, Margaret Horton