Adam

Adam

See also: adam, adām, ādām, Ádam, Âdam, Ádám, A'dam, and อาดัม

English

Etymology

From Middle English Adam, from Old English Adam, from Latin Adam, Adamus, from Ancient Greek Ἀδάμ (Adám), Ἄδαμος (Ádamos), from Biblical Hebrew אָדָם‎ (adam, “earth, man, soil, light brown”), from אדמה‎ (adamah, “red earth, ground”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈæ.dəm/
  • (General American) IPA^(key): [ˈæɾm̩], [ˈæɾəm]

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Homophone: atom (accents with flapping)

Proper noun

Adam (plural Adams)

1. (Abrahamic religions) The first man and the progenitor of the human race.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Genesis 3:20:

     And Adam called his wiues name Eue, because she was the mother of all liuing.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book VII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554, lines 40–43:

     Say Goddeſs, what enſu'd when Raphael, / The affable Arch-angel, had forewarn'd / Adam by dire example to beware / Apoſtaſie,

2. A male given name from Hebrew.
   • 1859, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], “The Workshop”, in Adam Bede […], volume I, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, OCLC 2108290, book first, page 3:

     In his tall stalwartness Adam Bede was a Saxon, and justified his name; but the jet-black hair, made the more noticeable by its contrast with the light paper cap, and the keen glance of the dark eyes that shone from under strongly marked, proninent, and mobile eyebrows, indicated a mixture of Celtic blood.

   • 1904, Mark Twain, Extracts from Adam's Diary

     Since then I have deciphered some more of Adam’s hieroglyphics, and think he has now become sufficiently important as a public character to justify this publication.

   • 1933, Eleanor Farjeon, Over the Garden Wall, Faber and Faber 1933, page 90 ("Boys' Names")

     What splendid names for boys there are! / There's Carol like a rolling car, / And Martin like a flying bird, / And Adam like the Lord's First Word,

3. (figuratively) Original sin or human frailty.
4. (with second or last) Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice, in Christian theology, makes possible the forgiveness of Adam's original sin.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, 1 Corinthians 15:45:

     And so it is written: The first man Adam was made a liuing soule, the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

   • 1739, Charles Wesley, Hark! the Herald Angels Sing

     Second Adam from above,
     Reinstate us in thy love.

5. Designating a neoclassical style of furniture and architecture in the style of Robert and James Adam.
   • 1936, HP Lovecraft, ‘The Haunter of the Dark’:

     Inside were six-panelled doors, wide floor-boards, a curving colonial staircase, white Adam-period mantels, and a rear set of rooms three steps below the general level.

   • 2001, Norman K. Risjord, Representative Americans: The Revolutionary Generation (page 164)

     McIntyre's best pieces, such as the fireplace in the Otis house, managed to convey both an opulent warmth and a restrained elegance, and compares favorably with the artistic saturnalia of an Adam fireplace.

6. An English surname originating as a patronymic.
7. A Scottish surname originating as a patronymic.
8. A French surname originating as a patronymic.
9. A German surname originating as a patronymic.

Alternative forms

• (English surname): Adams
• (Scottish surname): Adams, McAdam, McAdams, McCaw, MacAdam, MacAdams, MacCaw

Derived terms

• Adam and Eve
• Adamesque
• Adamhood
• Adamic, Adamical
• Adamish
• Adamite
• Adamitism
• Adam's ale
• Adam's apple
• Adam's Bridge
• Adam's flannel
• Adam's morsel
• Adam's needle
• Adam's Peak
• Adam's wine
• apple of Adam
• as old as Adam, old as Adam
• Atkin (diminutive)
• co-Adamite
• not know someone from Adam
• Old Adam
• pre-Adamite
• pre-Adamitism
• since Adam was a boy

 

Related terms

surnames

• Acheson
• Adams
• Adamson
• Adcock
• Addams
• Addey
• Addie
• Addis
• Addison
• Addy
• Addyman
• Ade
• Ades
• Adey
• Adie
• Adkin
• Adkins
• Adnett
• Adnitt
• Aicken
• Aiken
• Aikens
• Aikin
• Aikins
• Aitchison
• Aitken
• Aitkens
• Aitkin
• Aitkins
• Atcheson
• Atkin
• Atkins
• Atkinson
• Baddams
• Hadcock
• Haddy
• Keddie
• Keddy
• Kiddie
• Kiddy
• Macadam
• MacAdam
• McAdams
• McAdams
• McAdie
• McCaw
• McGaw
• Megaw

 

Translations

first man in Abrahamic religions

Albanian: Adam, Adham, Adem Amharic: አዳም m (ʾädam) Arabic: آدَم‎ (ar) m (ʾādam), ءَادَم‎ m (ʾādam) (archaic) Aramaic: אדם‎ Syriac: ܐܕܡ‎ m (ʾāḏām), ܐܖܡ‎ (archaic) Armenian: Ադամ (hy) (Adam) Old Armenian: Ադամ (Adam) Assamese: আদম (adom) Bashkir: Әҙәм (Äðäm) Bengali: আদম (bn) (adômô) Burmese: အာဒန် (adan) Catalan: Adam (ca) Chinese: Cantonese: 亞當, 亚当 (aa3 dong1) Mandarin: 亞當／亚当 (zh) (Yǎdāng), 阿丹 (zh) (Ādān) Cornish: Adam Czech: Adam (cs) Danish: Adam (da) Dutch: Adam (nl) Esperanto: Adamo (eo) Estonian: Aadam (et) Faroese: Ádam m Finnish: Aadam (fi) French: Adam (fr) m Old French: Adan, Adam Galician: Adán (gl) German: Adam (de) m Greek: Αδάμ (el) m (Adám) Ancient: Ἀδάμ m (Adám) Gujarati: આદમ (ādam) Hausa: Adamu Hawaiian: ʻAdamu Hebrew: אָדָם‎ (he) m (Adam) Hindi: आदम (hi) m (ādam) Hungarian: Ádám (hu) Icelandic: Adam (is) m Indonesian: Adam (id) Interlingua: Adam Irish: Ádhamh Italian: Adamo (it) Japanese: アダム (Adamu) Kannada: ಆದಾಮನು m (ādāmanu) Kazakh: Адам (kk) (Adam) Khmer: អ័ដាម (ʼadaam) Korean: 아담 (ko) (Adam) Kurdish: Central Kurdish: ئادەم‎ (ku) (adem) Northern Kurdish: Adem (ku) Latin: Adam (la) Latvian: Ādams Lithuanian: Adomas (lt) Macedonian: А́дам m (Ádam) Malay: Adam Malayalam: ആദാം (ml) (ādāṃ) Maltese: Adam Manx: Adaue m Maori: Ārama Middle English: Adam Norwegian: Adam (no) Oriya: ଆଦମ (adômô) Pashto: آدم‎ m Persian: آدم‎ (fa) (Âdam) Polish: Adam (pl) m Portuguese: Adão (pt) Punjabi: ਆਦਮ (pa) m (ādam) Rohingya: Adom Russian: Ада́м (ru) m (Adám) Scottish Gaelic: Adhamh Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: А̀дам m Roman: Àdam (sh) m Sindhi: آدم‎ m (ādamu) Sinhalese: ආදම් (si) (ādam) Slovak: Adam m Spanish: Adam (es) m, Adán (es) m Swahili: Adamu Swedish: Adam (sv) Sylheti: please add this translation if you can Tagalog: Adan (tl) Tamil: ஆதாம் (ta) (ātām) Telugu: ఆదాము (ādāmu) Thai: อาดัม (aa-dam) Tibetan: ཨ་དམ (a dam) Tok Pisin: Adam (tpi) Turkish: Adem (tr) Urdu: آدم‎ (ur) m Uzbek: Odam Vietnamese: A-đam Walloon: Adan Welsh: Adda (cy) m Yoruba: Ádámù Zazaki: Adam (diq)

male given name

Albanian: Adam, Adham, Adem Arabic: آدَم‎ (ar) m (ʾādam) Armenian: Ադամ (hy) (Adam) Old Armenian: Ադամ (Adam) Catalan: Adam (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 亞當／亚当 (zh) (Yǎdāng) Czech: Adam (cs) Danish: Adam (da) Dutch: Adam (nl) Esperanto: Adamo (eo) Estonian: Aadu (et) Faroese: Ádam m Finnish: Aatami (fi) French: Adam (fr) m Galician: Adán (gl) German: Adam (de) m Greek: Αδάμ (el) m (Adám), Αδάμος (el) (Adámos) Ancient: Ἀδάμ (Adám) Hausa: Adamu Hawaiian: ʻAkamu Hebrew: אָדָם‎ (he) m (Adam) Hungarian: Ádám (hu) Icelandic: Adam (is) m Indonesian: Adam (id) Interlingua: Adam Irish: Ádhamh Italian: Adamo (it) Japanese: アダム (Adamu) Kashubian: Jadóm m Korean: 애덤 (Aedeom) Kurdish: Central Kurdish: ئادەم‎ (ku) (adem) Northern Kurdish: Adem (ku) Latin: Adam (la) Latvian: Ādams Lithuanian: Adomas (lt) Macedonian: А́дам m (Ádam) Malay: Adam Maori: Ārama Middle English: Adam Norwegian: Adam (no) Persian: آدم‎ (fa) (Âdam), آدام‎ (Âdâm) Polish: Adam (pl) m Portuguese: Adão (pt) Russian: Ада́м (ru) m (Adám) Sardinian: Adàmu Scottish Gaelic: Adhamh Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: А̀дам m Roman: Àdam (sh) m Sinhalese: ආදම් (si) (ādam) Slovak: Adam m Sorbian: Upper Sorbian: Hadam m Spanish: Adán (es) Swahili: Adamu Swedish: Adam (sv) Thai: อาดัม (aa-dam) Tok Pisin: Adam (tpi) Turkish: Adem (tr) Urdu: آدم‎ (ur) m Walloon: Adan Welsh: Adda (cy) m Zazaki: Adam (diq), Adam (diq)

figuratively: original sin; human frailty

Finnish: Aatami (fi), vanha Aatami

with "last" or "second", Jesus Christ

Finnish: Aadam (fi) Greek: Αδάμ (el) m (Adám) Middle English: Adam

designating a neoclassical style

Finnish: Adam (fi), Adam-tyyli

surname derived from Adam or its equivalents in other languages

Albanian: Adami, Adhami, Ademi Finnish: Aatamila Thai: อาดัม (aa-dam)

See also

• Eve
• Wikipedia article on Adam and Eve
• Wikipedia article on original sin
• Edom
• Esau

Anagrams

• A.A.M.D., dama

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Albanian

Etymology

From Latin Adam, Adamus, from Ancient Greek Ἀδάμ (Adám), Ἄδαμος (Ádamos), from Biblical Hebrew אָדָם‎ (adam, “earth, man, soil, light brown”), from אדמה‎ (adamah, “red earth, ground”).

Proper noun

Adam m (definite Adami)

1. a male given name, equivalent to English Adam
2. (religion, Christianity) Adam (biblical figure)
3. (religion, Islam) Adem (“Adam”)

Declension

Declension of Adam

	indefinite forms (trajta të pashquara)			definite forms (trajta të shquara)
	singular (numri njëjës)	plural (numri shumës)		singular (numri njëjës)	plural (numri shumës)
nominative (emërore)	(një) Adam	(disa) Adamë		Adami	Adamët
accusative (kallëzore)	(një) Adam	(disa) Adamë		Adamin	Adamët
genitive (gjinore) (i/e/të/së)	(një) Adami	(disa) Adamëve		Adamit	Adamëvet
dative (dhanore)	(një) Adami	(disa) Adamëve		Adamit	Adamëvet
ablative (rrjedhore) (prej)	(një) Adami	(disa) Adamësh		Adamit	Adamëvet

Derived terms

• Adami m (patronym)
• Adamaj (patronym)

Related terms

• Ademi m (patronym)
• Ademaj (patronym)

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Catalan

Etymology

From Hebrew אָדָם‎ (adam, “earth, man, soil, light brown”).

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /əˈdam/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /aˈdam/

Proper noun

Adam m

1. a male given name, equivalent to English Adam
2. Adam (biblical figure)

Derived terms

• adàmic
• adamita

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Cornish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈædəm/

Proper noun

Adam

1. Adam (biblical figure)

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Czech

Etymology

From Hebrew אָדָם‎ (adam, “earth, man, soil, light brown”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈadam]

Proper noun

Adam m

1. Adam (biblical figure)
2. a male given name from Hebrew, equivalent to English Adam

Declension

Declension of Adam

	singular	plural
nominative	Adam	Adamové
genitive	Adama	Adamů
dative	Adamovi, Adamu	Adamům
accusative	Adama	Adamy
vocative	Adame	Adamové
locative	Adamovi, Adamu	Adamech
instrumental	Adamem	Adamy

Related terms

• Pet forms: Adámek, Damek, Áďa

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Danish

Etymology

From Hebrew אָדָם‎ (adam, “earth, man, soil, light brown”).

Proper noun

Adam

1. Adam (biblical figure)
2. a male given name

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Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch Adam, from Latin Ādām, from Ancient Greek Ἀδάμ (Adám), from Hebrew אָדָם‎ (“Adam”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaː.dɑm/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Adam

Proper noun

Adam m

1. Adam (Biblical character, mythological first man)
2. a male given name from Hebrew

Derived terms

• adamsappel
• adamskostuum

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Ewe

Etymology

From Hebrew אָדָם‎ (adam, “earth, man, soil, light brown”).

Proper noun

Adam

1. Adam (biblical figure)
2. a male given name

See also

• Xawa

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French

Etymology

From Hebrew אָדָם‎ (adam, “earth, man, soil, light brown”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.dɑ̃/

• Audio (Paris)

  (file)

Proper noun

Adam m

1. Adam (biblical figure)
2. a diminutive of the male given names Adanet, Adenot, Adnet, or Adnot

Derived terms

• ne connaître ni d'Ève ni d'Adam
• pomme d'Adam
• tenue d'Adam

Anagrams

• dama

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German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin Adam, from Ancient Greek Ἀδάμ (Adám), from Hebrew אָדָם‎ (ʾāḏām, “man, soil, light brown”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaːdam/

• Audio

  (file)

Proper noun

Adam m (proper noun, strong, genitive Adams)

1. (biblical) Adam
2. a male given name; variant form Adi

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Hausa

Etymology

From Arabic آدَم‎ (ʾādam).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔá.dàm/
  • (Standard Kano Hausa) IPA^(key): [ʔá.dàŋ]

Proper noun

Adàm m

1. Adam (biblical character)

Derived terms

• ɗan Adàm

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Icelandic

Etymology

From Hebrew אָדָם‎ (adam, “earth, man, soil, light brown”).

Proper noun

Adam m

1. Adam (biblical figure)
2. a male given name

Declension

declension of Adam

m-s1	singular
	indefinite
nominative	Adam
accusative	Adam
dative	Adam
genitive	Adams

Derived terms

• adamsepli
• Adam og Eva

See also

• Eva

Anagrams

• dama

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Italian

Etymology

Alteration of MDMA.

Noun

Adam m (invariable)

1. (informal) ecstasy (drug)

Anagrams

• dama

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Latin

Alternative forms

• Ādāmus

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈaː.daːm/, [ˈäːd̪äːm]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈa.dam/, [ˈäːd̪äm]

Proper noun

Ādām m (variously declined, genitive Ādām or Ādae); indeclinable, first declension

1. Adam (Biblical figure)
2. (New Latin) a male given name, equivalent to English Adam

Declension

Indeclinable noun or first-declension noun (nominative/vocative singular in -ām).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	Ādām	Ādae
Genitive	Ādām Ādae	Ādārum
Dative	Ādām Ādae	Ādīs
Accusative	Ādām	Ādās
Ablative	Ādām Ādā	Ādīs
Vocative	Ādām	Ādae

References

• “Adam”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• Adam in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette

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Maltese

Etymology

From Sicilian Adamu, Addamu and/or Italian Adamo, both from Latin Ādāmus, from Ancient Greek Ἀδάμ (Adám), from Hebrew אָדָם‎ (āḏām). All religious names (though not all religious words) in Maltese are borrowings from Romance. The inherited form from Arabic آدَم‎ (ʾādam) would be *Iedem, which is preserved in bniedem (“human being”, literally “son of Adam”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aˈdaːm/
• Rhymes: -aːm

Proper noun

Adam m

1. Adam

Derived terms

• tadama

 

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Middle English

Etymology

From Latin Ādāmus, Ādām, from Ancient Greek Ἀδάμ (Adám), Ἄδαμος (Ádamos), from Biblical Hebrew אָדָם‎ (adam).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aˈdaːm/, /ˈadam/

Proper noun

Adam

1. Adam (Biblical progenitor of humankind).
2. a male given name from Hebrew; Adam
3. (with newe or last) Jesus Christ.

Descendants

• English: Adam
• Scots: Adam, Aidam

References

• “Adā̆m, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-07-15.

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Norwegian

Etymology

From Hebrew אָדָם‎ (adam, “earth, man, soil, light brown”).

Proper noun

Adam

1. Adam (biblical figure)
2. a male given name

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Polish

Etymology

From Hebrew אָדָם‎ (adam, “earth, man, soil, light brown”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.dam/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -adam
• Syllabification: A‧dam

Proper noun

Adam m pers (diminutive Adaś)

1. Adam (biblical figure)
2. a male given name, equivalent to English Adam

Declension

Declension of Adam

	singular	plural
nominative	Adam	Adamowie
genitive	Adama	Adamów
dative	Adamowi	Adamom
accusative	Adama	Adamów
instrumental	Adamem	Adamami
locative	Adamie	Adamach
vocative	Adamie	Adamowie

Further reading

• Adam in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• Adam in Polish dictionaries at PWN

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Scots

Alternative forms

• Aidam

Etymology

From Middle English Adam, from Latin Ādāmus, Ādām, from Ancient Greek Ἀδάμ (Adám).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈadəm/

Proper noun

Adam

1. Adam (biblical figure)

References

• “Adam, prop.n.” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.

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Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Hebrew אָדָם‎ (adam, “earth, man, soil, light brown”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ǎdam/
• Hyphenation: A‧dam

Proper noun

Àdam m (Cyrillic spelling А̀дам)

1. Adam (biblical figure)
2. a male given name

Declension

Declension of Adam

	singular
nominative	Adam
genitive	Adama
dative	Adamu
accusative	Adama
vocative	Adame
locative	Adamu
instrumental	Adamom

See also

• Adem

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Slovak

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈadam]

Proper noun

Adam m (genitive singular Adama, nominative plural Adamovia, genitive plural Adamov, declension pattern of chlap)

1. Adam (biblical figure)
2. a male given name

Declension

Declension of Adam

	singular	plural
nominative	Adam	Adamovia
genitive	Adama	Adamov
dative	Adamovi	Adamom
accusative	Adama	Adamov
locative	Adamovi	Adamoch
instrumental	Adamom	Adamami

Derived terms

• Aduš
• Ado
• Adamko
• Adko

Further reading

• Adam in Slovak dictionaries at slovnik.juls.savba.sk

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Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aˈdam/ [aˈð̞ãm]
• Rhymes: -am
• Syllabification: A‧dam

Proper noun

Adam m

1. Alternative form of Adán (“biblical figure”)
   • 1602 — La Santa Biblia (antigua versión de Casiodoro de Reina), rev., Génesis 2:20

     Y puso Adam nombres á toda bestia y ave de los cielos y á todoanimal del campo.

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Swedish

Etymology

From Hebrew אָדָם‎ (adam, “earth, man, soil, light brown”).

Interjection

Adam

1. The letter "A" in the Swedish spelling alphabet

Proper noun

Adam c (genitive Adams)

1. Adam (biblical figure)
2. a male given name. Pet form: Adde

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Tok Pisin

This entry has fewer than three known examples of actual usage, the minimum considered necessary for clear attestation, and may not be reliable. Tok Pisin is subject to a special exemption for languages with limited documentation. If you speak it, please consider editing this entry or adding citations. See also Help and the Community Portal.

Etymology

From English Adam.

Proper noun

Adam

1. Adam
   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 2:20:

     Tasol i no gat wanpela bilong ol dispela samting inap i stap poroman bilong helpim Adam.

     →New International Version translation

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Turkish

Proper noun

Adam

1. a male given name

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Walloon

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.ˈdã/

Proper noun

Adam

1. (biblical) Adam
2. a male given name, equivalent to English Adam