1. (Old Testament) the eldest son of Isaac who would have inherited the covenant that God made with Abraham and that Abraham passed on to Isaac; he traded his birthright to his twin brother Jacob for a mess of pottage;
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
Esau
n 1: (Old Testament) the eldest son of Isaac who would have
inherited the covenant that God made with Abraham and that
Abraham passed on to Isaac; he traded his birthright to his
twin brother Jacob for a mess of pottage