Zipporah

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A wife of Moses, noted in biblical accounts for her role as a supportive partner and figure in the Exodus narrative
2. The daughter of Jethro, who was a Midianite priest and father to the biblical character, contributing to the heritage of Moses
3. An important female figure in religious texts, symbolizing the connections between different cultures and faiths through marriage to a Hebrew leader

Etymology: Zipporah is a personal name that appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Moses, and its roots are in an ordinary word for a bird. The Hebrew "ṣippōr" means "bird," and "ṣippōrā" is a feminine form of it, so the name can be read as something like "female bird" or "little bird." Naming children after animals was common in ancient Semitic cultures, and this is a typical example. The name's meaning is therefore simple, even though its fame comes entirely from the story of Moses. In the biblical account, she is the daughter of a Midianite priest, and she becomes Moses' wife after he settles in Midian. The name stayed in use in Jewish communities, and it later reached English-speaking readers through biblical translation and the names taken from scripture.