Search

Abigail (Smith) 1744–1818, U.S. social and political figure (wife of John Adams).
Alice, 1926–1999, U.S. writer.
Ansel, 1902–84, U.S. photographer.
Brooks, 1848–1927, U.S. historian and political scientist (son of Charles Francis Adams and brother of Henry Brooks Adams).
Charles Francis, 1807–86, U.S. statesman: minister to Great Britain 1861–68 (son of John Quincy Adams).
Franklin P(ierce) (“F.P.A”) 1881–1960, U.S. author and columnist.
Henry (Brooks) 1838–1918, U.S. historian, writer, and teacher (son of Charles Francis Adams).
James Truslow
[truhs-loh] /ˈtrʌs loʊ/ (Show IPA), 1878–1949, U.S. historian.
John, 1735–1826, 2nd president of the U.S. 1797–1801: a leader in the American Revolution.
John Michael Geoffrey Manningham
[man-ing-uh m] /ˈmæn ɪŋ əm/ (Show IPA), (“Tom”) 1931–85, Barbadian political leader: prime minister 1976–85.
John Quincy
[kwin-zee,, -see] /ˈkwɪn zi,, -si/ (Show IPA), 1767–1848, 6th president of the U.S. 1825–29; secretary of state 1817–25 (son of John Adams).
Léonie Fuller [ley-oh-nee] /leɪˈoʊ ni/ (Show IPA), 1899–1988, U.S. poet.
Maude (Maude Kiskadden) 1872–1953, U.S. actress.
Roger, 1889–1971, U.S. chemist.
Samuel, 1722–1803, American statesman: a leader in the American Revolution.
Samuel Hopkins, 1874–1958, U.S. journalist and novelist.
Walter Sydney, 1876–1956, U.S. astronomer.
Mount. a mountain in SW Washington, in the Cascade Range. 12,307 feet (3751 meters).
a mountain in N New Hampshire, in the White Mountains. 5798 feet (1767 meters).
a city in W Massachusetts.
the name of the first man: husband of Eve and progenitor of the human race. Gen. 2:7; 5:1–5.
Adolphe Charles
[a-dawlf sharl] /aˈdɔlf ʃarl/ (Show IPA), 1803–56, French composer of comic opera and ballet music.
James, 1730–94, and his brother Robert, 1728–92, English architects and furniture designers.
Lambert Sigisbert
[lahn-ber see-zheez-ber] /lɑ̃ˈbɛr si ʒizˈbɛr/ (Show IPA), 1700–59, and his brother Nicholas Sébastien
[nee-kaw-lah sey-bahs-tyan] /ni kɔˈlɑ seɪ bɑsˈtyɛ̃/ (Show IPA) 1705–78, French sculptors.
a male given name.
of or relating to the style of architecture, decoration, or furnishings associated with Robert and James Adam, characterized by free adaptation of ancient Roman forms and interiors treated with delicate ornament generally painted in light, vivid colors.
not know from Adam, to be unacquainted with:
He says hello to us every morning, but we don’t know him from Adam.
the old Adam, the natural tendency toward sin:
He attributed his wild outburst to the old Adam in him.
Contemporary Examples

Perhaps the only negative thing to come out of that story is the perception that Adams owes his career to Lopez.
Broadway’s New Queen Itay Hod March 16, 2011

Adams thought that was the decisive moment, and the subsequent debate over the language of the Declaration was a mere epilogue.
Nothing Happened on the Fourth Joseph J. Ellis July 2, 2009

The first president, Adams, and Franklin just rolled over in their graves.
King of Offensive Political Attack Ads Alex Berg June 16, 2011

“The Thai military is making the Chinese communist party look liberal right now,” Adams told The Daily Beast.
‘The Hunger Games’ Stars Silent on Thai Protesters Asawin Suebsaeng November 20, 2014

The evolution to which Adams allotted three generations my father completed in only one.
My Eulogy for My Father, Murray Frum David Frum May 30, 2013

Historical Examples

Adams armed himself with a cowhide, and watched for his victim.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; Various

Mr. President:—I second the motion which Mr. Adams has offered.
America First Various

After breakfast, Adams piloted Polly over the premises, from the corral to the office.
Across the Mesa Jarvis Hall

Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Adams are silent while Mr. Sherman and Mr. Franklin vote aye.
America First Various

He would, therefore, be much obliged to Adams for remembering that he should prefer being at the court of France.
Benjamin Franklin; Self-Revealed, Volume II (of 2) Wiliam Cabell Bruce

noun
a mountain in SW Washington, in the Cascade Range. Height: 3751 m (12 307 ft)
noun
Gerry, full name Gerrard Adams. born 1948, Northern Ireland politician; president of Sinn Féin from 1983: negotiated the Irish Republican Army ceasefires in 1994–96 and 1997; member of the parliament of the Irish Republic from 2011
Henry (Brooks). 1838–1918, US historian and writer. His works include Mont Saint Michel et Chartres (1913) and his autobiography The Education of Henry Adams (1918)
John. 1735–1826, second president of the US (1797–1801); US ambassador to Great Britain (1785–88); helped draft the Declaration of Independence (1776)
John Coolidge. born 1947, US composer; works include the operas Nixon in China (1987) and The Death of Klinghoffer (1991)
John Couch. 1819–92, British astronomer who deduced the existence and position of the planet Neptune
John Quincey. son of John Adams. 1767–1848, sixth president of the US (1825–29); secretary of state (1817–25)
Richard. born 1920, British author; his novels include Watership Down (1972), The Plague Dogs (1977), and Traveller (1988)
Samuel. 1722–1803, US revolutionary leader; one of the organizers of the Boston Tea Party; a signatory of the Declaration of Independence
noun
(Old Testament) the first man, created by God: the progenitor of the human race (Genesis 2–3)
not know someone from Adam, to have no knowledge of or acquaintance with someone
the old Adam, the evil supposedly inherent in human nature
noun
(French) (adɑ̃). Adolphe. 1803–56, French composer, best known for his romantic ballet Giselle (1841)
(ˈædəm). Robert. 1728–92, Scottish architect and furniture designer. Assisted by his brother, James, 1730–94, he emulated the harmony of classical and Italian Renaissance architecture
adjective
in the neoclassical style made popular by Robert Adam

masc. proper name, Biblical name of the first man, from Hebrew adam “man,” literally “(the one formed from the) ground” (Hebrew adamah “ground”); cf. Latin homo “man,” humanus “human,” humus “earth, ground, soil.” To not know (someone) from Adam “not know him at all” is first recorded 1784.
Adams
(ād’əmz)
American astronomer who demonstrated that the essential brightness of a star could be calculated by studying its spectrum and who introduced a method for measuring the distance of stars based on their brightness. In 1915 he discovered Sirius B, the first known white dwarf star, and his measurement of the gravitational red shift in the light leaving its surface was accepted as evidence for Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity.

Related Terms

not know someone from adam
Animated Dissection of Anatomy for Medicine

red, a Babylonian word, the generic name for man, having the same meaning in the Hebrew and the Assyrian languages. It was the name given to the first man, whose creation, fall, and subsequent history and that of his descendants are detailed in the first book of Moses (Gen. 1:27-ch. 5). “God created man [Heb., Adam] in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Adam was absolutely the first man whom God created. He was formed out of the dust of the earth (and hence his name), and God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and gave him dominion over all the lower creatures (Gen. 1:26; 2:7). He was placed after his creation in the Garden of Eden, to cultivate it, and to enjoy its fruits under this one prohibition: “Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” The first recorded act of Adam was his giving names to the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, which God brought to him for this end. Thereafter the Lord caused a deep sleep to fall upon him, and while in an unconscious state took one of his ribs, and closed up his flesh again; and of this rib he made a woman, whom he presented to him when he awoke. Adam received her as his wife, and said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” He called her Eve, because she was the mother of all living. Being induced by the tempter in the form of a serpent to eat the forbidden fruit, Eve persuaded Adam, and he also did eat. Thus man fell, and brought upon himself and his posterity all the sad consequences of his transgression. The narrative of the Fall comprehends in it the great promise of a Deliverer (Gen. 3:15), the “first gospel” message to man. They were expelled from Eden, and at the east of the garden God placed a flame, which turned every way, to prevent access to the tree of life (Gen. 3). How long they were in Paradise is matter of mere conjecture. Shortly after their expulsion Eve brought forth her first-born, and called him Cain. Although we have the names of only three of Adam’s sons, viz., Cain, Abel, and Seth, yet it is obvious that he had several sons and daughters (Gen. 5:4). He died aged 930 years. Adam and Eve were the progenitors of the whole human race. Evidences of varied kinds are abundant in proving the unity of the human race. The investigations of science, altogether independent of historical evidence, lead to the conclusion that God “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26. Comp. Rom. 5:12-12; 1 Cor. 15:22-49).

see: not know from Adam