Adam
/ˈædəm/
noun
Origin
Hebrew
אָדָם — man, mankind, red earth
Overview
Meaning Now
- A proper noun referring to the first human created by God in Abrahamic religions.
- A masculine given name of Hebrew origin.
Literal older meaning
earth
Language path
Hebrew → Ancient Greek → Latin → English
Earliest form
אָדָם
Earliest period
1st millennium BCE
Journey
The name is central to Judeo-Christian and Islamic theology, representing the archetype of the human race. It is linguistically linked to the Hebrew word 'adama' (ground/earth), highlighting the creation narrative where man is formed from the dust of the earth.
Evolution
- Biblical Hebrew
אָדָם
“human/mankind”
- Septuagint Greek
Ἀδάμ
“Adam”
Transliterated into Greek
- Vulgate Latin
Adam
“Adam”
- Old English
Adam
“Adam”
Introduced via Christianity
Connections
Word parts
adam
root
man or red earth
Related across languages
Arabic
آدم
Adam
Aramaic
ܐܕܡ
Adam
Explore next
Related to Adam
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.