Esther

American  

[es-ter] / ˈɛs tər /

noun

1. the wife of Ahasuerus.

2. a book of the Bible bearing her name. Esth.

3. a number of prayers, visions, interpretations of dreams, etc., that are included in the Douay Bible as chapters 10–16.

4. a female given name.

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Esther British  

/ ˈɛstə /

noun

1. a beautiful Jewish woman who became queen of Persia and saved her people from massacre

2. the book in which this episode is recounted

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Esther Cultural  

1. A book of the Old Testament that tells the story of a beautiful Jewish woman named Esther who is chosen by the king of Persia (now Iran; see Persian Empire) to be his queen. Esther, with the aid of her cousin Mordecai, stops a plot to massacre the Jews (see also Jews) in Persia, and Mordecai becomes the king's chief minister.

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Discover More

This event is celebrated by Jews as the feast of Purim.

Etymology

Origin of Esther

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin Hester, from Greek Esthēr, from Hebrew Estēr; further origin uncertain; possibly from Persian sitareh, setāre “star, fate”; possibly from Akkadian Ishtar; cf. Aphrodite ( def. ), Ishtar ( def. ), star ( def. )

Example Sentences

The company was born in 1948, when Harry and Esther Snyder opened a small food stand in Baldwin Park.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

"Space is one of the few areas that Americans with different political views can enjoy and watch together," said Esther Brimmer, a senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations who specialises in space policy.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Esther, the king’s wife, convinced the king to withdraw the edict and arrest Haman.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

Esther Gottlieb, after studying at Pratt, abandoned art to teach at Needle Trades High School so that her husband, Adolph, could concentrate on painting.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 28, 2026

When the bell rings, I tell the others I have to do something, and I follow Esther out.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh