iscariot means epithet of Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus in the New Testament, who betrayed Jesus into the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver, and of his father Simon Iscariot. It carries an Arena rating of 1587, earned across 15 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, iscariot ranks #34 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #501 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #1,031 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #1,833 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound.
Why “iscariot” is a great word
An archetypal betrayer, from the surname of the disciple Judas, now a byword for profound treachery. Its etymology stems from Ancient Greek Ἰσκαριώτης (Iskariṓtēs), of debated origin; the most common scholarly proposal is from a presumed Hebrew or Aramaic phrase meaning 'man of Kerioth' (ish qeriyyot). Unlike the general 'traitor,' which covers any breach of trust, or the historically specific 'Benedict Arnold,' 'Iscariot' evokes the primal, theological rupture of divine covenant. It is the chill of the predawn kiss in Gethsemane, the clink of thirty silver coins in a deserted temple court, and the shape of a hanged man against a pale dawn—a name that forever defines a human by a single, unforgivable moment.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek Ἰσκαριώτης (Iskariṓtēs)/ Ἰσκαριώθ (Iskariṓth); the original Hebrew or Aramaic term is unknown and the subject of much debate. For more information, see the name and background section of Wikipedia's article on Judas Iscariot.
name
- Epithet of Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus in the New Testament, who betrayed Jesus into the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver, and of his father Simon Iscariot.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.