James

noun

1
: an apostle, son of Zebedee, and brother of the apostle John according to the Gospel accounts
2
: an apostle and son of Alphaeus according to the Gospel accounts

called also James the Less

3
: a brother of Jesus traditionally held to be the author of the New Testament Epistle of James
4
: a moral lecture addressed to early Christians and included as a book in the New Testament see Bible Table

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *Jacomus, alteration of Late Latin Jacobus, Jacob Jacob

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of James was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near James

Cite this Entry

“James.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/James. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

James

noun
: a moral lecture addressed to early Christians and included as a book in the New Testament see bible

Geographical Definition

James

geographical name

1
or officially Dakota river 710 miles (1143 kilometers) long in North Dakota and South Dakota flowing south to the Missouri River
2
river 340 miles (547 kilometers) long in Virginia flowing east into Chesapeake Bay at Hampton Roads

Biographical Definition

James 1 of 7

biographical name (1)

name of 6 kings of Scotland and 2 kings of Great Britain: especially VI 1566–1625 of Scotland (reigned 1567–1603) or I of Great Britain (reigned 1603–25); II 1633–1701 (reigned 1685–88)

James

2 of 7

biographical name (2)

Henry 1811–1882 American philosopher

James

3 of 7

biographical name (3)

Henry 1843–1916 son of Henry James British (American-born) writer
Jamesian adjective

James

4 of 7

biographical name (4)

Jesse Woodson 1847–1882 American outlaw

James

5 of 7

biographical name (5)

LeBron (Raymone) 1984–     American basketball player

James

6 of 7

biographical name (6)

P(hyllis) D(orothy) 1920–2014 Baroness James of Holland Park British writer

James

7 of 7

biographical name (7)

William 1842–1910 brother of Henry James (writer) American psychologist and philosopher
Jamesian adjective
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!