Etymology and Meaning
The literal translation of the name Ismail is heard by Allah or God has heard and it refers to the yearning of Ibrahim and his wife, Sarah, to have a child. Ismail's mother, Hagar was the handmaiden of the Princess. Muhammad, a descendant of Ismail who was sent the Qur'an by Allah, became the final messenger, and so the name Ismail is often taken to mean the fulfillment of a divine promise resulting from prayer being heard.
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Famous quotes containing the words etymology and/or meaning:
“The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
—Giambattista Vico (1688–1744)
“Semantically, taste is rich and confusing, its etymology as odd and interesting as that of “style.” But while style—deriving from the stylus or pointed rod which Roman scribes used to make marks on wax tablets—suggests activity, taste is more passive.... Etymologically, the word we use derives from the Old French, meaning touch or feel, a sense that is preserved in the current Italian word for a keyboard, tastiera.”
—Stephen Bayley, British historian, art critic. “Taste: The Story of an Idea,” Taste: The Secret Meaning of Things, Random House (1991)