Lazarus

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A biblical figure known for being raised from the dead
2. a term used to describe a miraculous recovery or return to life after a period of absence
3. an allusion to someone who revives or re-emerges after seeming to be lost or gone

Etymology: Lazarus is a Biblical name, and the word now means a person's return from death, which is the story told about him. In the Gospel of John, Jesus raises a man named Lazarus, who had been dead for four days, from his tomb near Bethany. The name comes from Hebrew "El'azar", meaning "God has helped", a name shared by several people in the Hebrew Bible. A Lazarus also appears in Luke 16, in the parable of the rich man and the beggar, though that Lazarus is not restored to life. The Greek form "Lazaros" passed into Latin as "Lazarus", and the English word was borrowed from Late Latin. Its close relative is "Eleazar", a doublet that kept closer to the Hebrew spelling and is still used as a given name.