joseph

name

1. (countable, uncountable)Eleventh and favorite son of Jacob, by his wife Rachel.

   “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.”

   “A few shocks of corn in a corner of the fallow stood up as if alive; she imagined them bowing; perhaps her son would be a Joseph.”

2. (countable, uncountable)The husband of Mary, mother of Jesus.

   “Meronym: Holy Family”

   “And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli.”

3. (countable, uncountable)The 12th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.
4. (countable, uncountable)Joseph of Arimathea; man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus.
5. (countable, uncountable)A male given name from Hebrew.

   “I'm going to call him Joseph / or Josephine if it's a girl. / Why? / Because it's a strong name, / Joe, Joseph. / You give a kid a name like Cameron / or Alfred, or something like that, / and they end up wearing glasses / and looking at computers for the rest of their life. / - - - So Joe it is. / He'll turn out strong. Strong and smart.”

   “Army chief Joseph Aoun was voted president after two rounds of voting.”

6. (countable, uncountable)A surname:
7. (countable, uncountable)A surname:
8. (countable, uncountable)A locale in the United States:
9. (countable, uncountable)A locale in the United States:
10. (countable, uncountable)A locale in the United States:

noun

1. One whose chastity is above temptation (from the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife in Genesis xxxix).

   “And my lady thought you a Joseph!”

   “You're a kid Casanova, you're no Joseph It's a labor of love fucking yourself to death Orgasm addict, you're an orgasm addict”

2. (attributive, humorous, rare, sometimes)A coat or other garment of many colours.

   “When summoned to lecture on the following day, he made his appearance in a morning-coat which had been originally of tartan plaid, but sundry repairs of various patterns gave it at once the name of his "Joseph".”

   “Charles Dickens, quoted in 1974, Madeline House & Graham Storey (eds.), Letters […] their Josephs again — their coats of many colors.”

   “[…] his Joseph attire of many colours, and ill-matching socks.”

3. (capitalized, sometimes)A woman's riding habit worn in the 18th century with a long cape and buttons running down the front.

   “Some women, I grant, would not appear to advantage seated on a pillion, and attired in a drab joseph and a drab beaver-bonnet . . . travelling on pillions in snowy weather was unpleasant, though a joseph was a great protection . . . these ladies were so taken by surprise at finding such a lovely face and figure in an out-of-the-way country place, that they began to feel some curiosity about the dress she would put on when she took off her joseph”