# Nineveh

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /ˈnɪnɪvə/ · frequency rank #38,518

## Definitions
1. The capital of ancient Assyria, now Mosul, Iraq.
2. A governorate in Northern Iraq.

## Etymology
From Old English Niniuea (under influence from Biblical Hebrew נִינְוֵה (nīnəwē)), from Latin Nīnevē, from Ancient Greek Νινευή (Nineuḗ), ultimately from Akkadian 𒌷𒉌𒉡𒀀 𒀏 (/⁠Ninua⁠/) or Old Babylonian 𒌷𒉌𒉡𒀀 (/⁠Ninuwā⁠/) of uncertain origin, but is clearly a variation of 𒀏 (/⁠ninâ⁠/, “fish”). The cuneiform seems to denote "House of Fish", although whether this referred to literal fish, an aspect of Ishtar, a separate Hurrian goddess, or something else entirely is unclear.
The traditional folk etymology in classical antiquity derived it from an eponymous founder Ninus (Greek: Νίνος (Nínos)).

## Common misspellings (10)
`inneveh`, `nienveh`, `nineevh`, `ninevehh`, `ninevhe`, `ninevveh`, `ninneveh`, `ninveeh`, `nnieveh`, `nnineveh`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/nineveh