Michael
/ˈmaɪkəl/
proper noun
Origin
Hebrew
מִי כְּאֵל (mī kə-Ēl) — Who is like God?
Overview
Meaning Now
- A masculine given name of Hebrew origin.
- The name of a major archangel in the Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions.
Literal older meaning
Who is like God?
Language path
Hebrew → Greek → Latin → English
Earliest form
מִיכָאֵל (Mīkhā'ēl)
Earliest period
Biblical period
Journey
The name has been widely used throughout history due to the prominence of the Archangel Michael, who is regarded as a defender of the faith and a leader of the heavenly host in Christian, Jewish, and Islamic theology.
Evolution
- Biblical Hebrew
מִיכָאֵל
“Who is like God?”
Appears as the name of several individuals in the Old Testament.
- Koine Greek
Μιχαήλ (Mikhaḗl)
“Michael”
Transliteration into the Septuagint.
- Late Latin
Michael
“Michael”
Standardized Latin form used throughout the Christian West.
- Middle English
Michael
“Michael”
Adopted into English, often spelled as Mighel or Myghell.
Connections
Word parts
mi
root
who
ke
root
like
El
root
God
Related across languages
French
Michel
Michael
German
Michael
Russian
Михаил (Mikhail)
Michael
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Related to Michael
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.