Jacob

[jey-kuhb, zha-kawb]

noun

1. (in the Bible) the second son of Isaac, the twin brother of Esau, and father of the 12 patriarchs.

2. François 1920–2013, French geneticist: Nobel Prize in Medicine 1965.

3. a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “supplanter.”

Jacob

/ ˈdʒeɪkəb /

noun

1. Old Testament the son of Isaac, twin brother of Esau, and father of the twelve patriarchs of Israel

2. Also called: Jacob sheep. any of an ancient breed of sheep having a fleece with dark brown patches and two or four horns

Jacob

1. French geneticist who studied how genes control cellular activity by directing the synthesis of proteins. With Jacques Monod, he theorized that there are genes that regulate the activity of other, neighboring genes. They also proposed the existence of messenger RNA.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Jacob¹

sense 2 in allusion to Genesis 30:40

Example Sentences

It was really good to see Jacob Bethell with a smile on his face and scoring runs at Lord's on Thursday, despite England falling to a series defeat against an impressive South Africa.

From BBC

They then sold academy product Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle United for £40m before only adding to manager Unai Emery's squad on transfer deadline day.

From BBC

His passion project arrives, chockablock with design and speechifying, but Jacob Elordi’s quiet presence pulls focus.

From Los Angeles Times

The boy was Jacob Delashmutt, also 15, and he brought along two friends.

From Los Angeles Times

Happymon Jacob, a strategic affairs scholar, poses the blunt question in a post on X: "What is the alternative?"

From BBC