Definition of "Joseph"

Joseph

/ˈd͡ʒəʊzəf/

proper noun
countable and uncountable, plural Josephs
1. (biblical) Eleventh and favorite son of Jacob, by his wife Rachel.
  Quotations
  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.
  1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], Genesis 37:3
  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.
  1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, chapter 2, in Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […]
2. The husband of Virgin Mary.
  Quotations
  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.
  1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], Luke 3:23
3. The 12th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.
4. (Christianity) Joseph of Arimathea; man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus.
5. A male given name from Hebrew
  Quotations
  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.
  1998, Steven Herrick, A Place Like This, Univ. of Queensland Press, page 86
6. A surname
  1. An English surname originating as a patronymic.
  2. A French surname originating as a patronymic.
7. A locale in the United States.
  1. A city in Oregon; named for Nez Perce chief Hinmatóowyalahtq̓it (called "Chief Joseph" in English).
  2. A town in Utah; named for Mormon apostle Joseph Angell Young.
  3. A ghost town in Idaho; named for Hinmatóowyalahtq̓it (Chief Joseph).
noun
plural Josephs
1. One whose chastity is above temptation (from the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife in Genesis xxxix).
  Quotations
  You're a kid Casanova, you're no JosephIt's a labor of love fucking yourself to deathOrgasm addict, you're an orgasm addict
  1977, Buzzcocks, Orgasm Addict