Ish·ma·el 1 (?sh?m?-?l, -m?-) In the Bible, the son of Abraham who was cast out after the birth of Isaac. He is traditionally considered to be the forebear of the Arabs.Ish·ma·el 2 (?sh?m?-?l, -m?-)n. An outcast.[After Ishmael.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.Ishmael (???me??l) n1. (Bible) the son of Abraham and Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid: the ancestor of 12 Arabian tribes (Genesis 21:8?21; 25:12?18)2. (Bible) a bandit chieftain, who defied the Babylonian conquerors of Judah and assassinated the governor appointed by Nebuchadnezzar (II Kings 25:25; Jeremiah 40:13?41:18)3. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) rare an outcastCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014Ish?ma?el (??? mi ?l, -me?-) n. 1. the son of Abraham and Hagar: both he and Hagar were cast out of Abraham’s family by Sarah. Gen. 16:11, 12. 2. outcast; pariah. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.