Edessa

American  

[ih-des-uh] / ɪˈdɛs ə /

noun

1. an ancient city in NW Mesopotamia, on the modern site of Urfa: an early center of Christianity; the capital of a principality under the Crusaders.

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Edessa British  

/ ɪˈdɛsə /

noun

1. Modern name: Urfa.  an ancient city on the N edge of the Syrian plateau, founded as a Macedonian colony by Seleucus I: a centre of early Christianity

2. Ancient name: Aegae.  Modern Greek name: Édhessa.  a market town in Greece: ancient capital of Macedonia. Pop (municipality): 25 729 (2001)

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Other Word Forms

• Edessan adjective
• Edessene adjective

Example Sentences

He says that a Jewish merchant from Edessa bought the metal and required 900 camels to carry it off.

From Salon • Aug. 20, 2017

In 1144, Edessa was reconquered by the Turks.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2012

The king venerated a mysterious image of Christ known as the Mandylion of Edessa, which was believed to have been imprinted by supernatural means.

From BusinessWeek • Nov. 8, 2011

That image had long been defined by the Mandylion of Edessa, a piece of fabric thought to contain a direct impression of Jesus’ face.

From New York Times • Aug. 26, 2011

At the very outset of his "Ecclesiastical History," he knocks us over with a pretended correspondence which passed between Jesus, who, Jerome says, knew not how to write, and Abgarus, king of Edessa.

From Frauds and Follies of the Fathers A Review of the Worth of their Testimony to the Four Gospels by Wheeler, Joseph Mazzini