Semite
pronunciation
How to pronounce Semite in British English:
UK [ˈsemaɪt]
How to pronounce Semite in American English:
US [ˈsɛmˌaɪt]
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- Noun:
- a member of a group of Semitic-speaking peoples of the Middle East and northern Africa
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- Adjective:
- of or relating to or characteristic of Semites
Word Origin
- Semite (n.)
- 1847, "a Jew, Arab, Assyrian, or Aramaean" (an apparently isolated use from 1797 refers to the Semitic language group), back-formation from Semitic or else from French Sémite (1845), from Modern Latin Semita, from Late Latin Sem "Shem," one of the three sons of Noah (Gen. x:21-30), regarded as the ancestor of the Semites (in old Bible-based anthropology), from Hebrew Shem. In modern sense said to have been first used by German historian August Schlözer in 1781.
Example
- 1. Let 's see by some common semite loanwords in english .
- 2. Between the thirteenth and sixteenth century the european aryans , thanks to the stimulating influence of semite and mongol and the rediscovery of the greek classics , broke away from the latin tradition and rose again to the intellectual and material leadership of mankind .