Ahab

[ ey-hab ]

noun

1. Bible. a king of Israel and husband of Jezebel, reigned 874?–853? b.c. Douay Bible, A·chab [].
2. Literature. the captain of the ship Pequod and tragic hero of Melville's Moby Dick, obsessed with the pursuit of the white whale.

Ahab

/ ˈeɪhæb /

noun

1. Old Testament the king of Israel from approximately 869 to 850 bc and husband of Jezebel: rebuked by Elijah (I Kings 16:29–22:40)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Ahab¹

From Hebrew Aḥʾābh, probably “father's brother”

Example Sentences

To my relief, the directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, working with the screenwriter Julia Cox, trace Diana’s mythic roots not just to the naiads, but to zealots like Captain Ahab.

From New York Times

Like some tenured, landlocked Captain Ahab, I spent the entire week maniacally consulting with an equally agitated crew of scholars, undergrads, Cubans, Jubans, journalists, rabbis and one very committed lawyer in Miami.

From Salon

And it had been an epic quest, not unlike King Arthur’s hunt for the Holy Grail or Captain Ahab’s pursuit of that white whale.

From Los Angeles Times

He's Ahab attacking the whale or Khan stabbing at Captain Kirk "for hate's sake."

From Salon

Rebecca Eggers, an artist who makes clay figures and cartoons at Ahab’s Arts and Crafts Mall near the courthouse, said it was nice to see a buzz around the downtown that is “normally dead.”

From Seattle Times