abigail

noun

ab·i·gail ˈa-bə-ˌgāl

Synonyms of abigail next

next

: a lady's personal maid

Word History

Etymology

Abigail, servant in The Scornful Lady, a play by Francis Beaumont & John Fletcher

First Known Use

1616, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of abigail was in 1616

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Abigail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abigail. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

factoid

Listen to the pronunciation of factoid

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'Canceled' or 'cancelled'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

'In Vino Veritas' and Other Latin Phrases to Live By

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

Popular Features

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'In Vino Veritas' and Other Latin Phrases to Live By

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't