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Miriam

American  
[mir-ee-uhm] / ˈmɪr i əm /

noun

  1. (in the Bible) the sister of Moses and Aaron.

  2. a female given name, form of Mary.


Miriam British  
/ ˈmɪrɪəm /

noun

  1. Douay name: MaryOld Testament the sister of Moses and Aaron. (Numbers 12:1–15)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Miriam

From Late Latin Mariam, from Greek Mariám, from Hebrew Miryām, of uncertain origin; see also Mary ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The research, led by Dr. Miriam Lisci, a postdoctoral scientist in Prof. Jourdain's lab, focused on carbon-rich molecules, especially pyruvate.

From Science Daily • Apr. 20, 2026

Muldoon is survived by his partner, Miriam Rothbart; parents Deanna and Patrick Muldoon Sr, his sister and brother-in-law Shana and Ahmet Zappa, niece Halo and nephew Arrow Zappa.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

The same theme of isolation guided the work of debut director Lee Knight, whose "A Friend of Dorothy" stars veteran British actress Miriam Margolyes.

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

These are two Europeans: Miriam, a deeply feeling, moody, beautiful Jewish-British painter with a mysterious past; and Donatello, an Italian Bacchus who closely resembles the ancient Greek sculptor Praxiteles’ “Faun.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

At some point during the war, the colored computers sign disappeared into Miriam Mann’s purse and never came back.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly