Date
Meaning & History
Meaning uncertain. It may derived from Spanish azul or French azur meaning "blue" (both ultimately derived from Persian via Arabic), possibly used as a nickname for someone with blue eyes or an occupational name for a maker of blue ceramic ware. Alternately it could be from the Tamazight word izil meaning "good, pure".A third theory suggests that it is an acronym of the phrase אשה זונה וחללה לא יקחו ('ish-shah zo-nah wa-ha-la-lah lo yiq-qa-hu) from the Hebrew Bible (part of Leviticus 21:7). The verse means "a woman that is a harlot or profaned, they shall not take", referring to restrictions on whom a kohen (priest) may marry; ultimately this suggests priestly descent.