suburb of Washington, D.C., in central Md.: pop. 55,000
Origin:
after the Biblical Bethesda (in RSV, Bethzatha): John 5:2
See Bethesda in American Heritage Dictionary 4
An unincorporated city of west-central Maryland, a residential suburb of Washington, D.C. The National Institutes of Health and Naval Medical Center are here. Population: 55,200.