Lavan
/laˈvan/noun
A transliteration of the Hebrew name Lavan, the biblical father-in-law of Jacob, whose name means “white.”
Did you know?The Hebrew root ל־ב־ן (L-B-N), meaning “white,” is also connected with Lebanon, traditionally associated with its pale or snow-covered mountains.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*lbn
“White or whiteness; a reconstructed Semitic color root”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
לָבָן (Lavan)
“White; also the personal name of Lavan, Jacob’s uncle and father-in-law”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Λάβαν (Laban)
“The biblical personal name Laban, transliterated from Hebrew”
Latin Vulgate
Latin
Laban
“The biblical name preserved in Latin scripture”
Modern English
English
Lavan
“A transliteration of the Hebrew biblical name, also used as a personal name”