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Jo·nah¹

(jōnə)

In the Bible, a prophet who was swallowed by a great fish and disgorged unharmed three days later.

[Hebrew yônâ, dove; see ywn in the Appendix of Semitic roots.]

Jo·nah²

(jōnə)

1. See Table at Bible.

2. One thought to bring bad luck.

[After Jonah.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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