Aramaic

Ar·a·ma·ic

[ar-uh-mey-ik]
noun
1.
Also, Aramean, Aramaean. a northwest Semitic language that from c300 b.c.–a.d. 650 was a lingua franca for nearly all of SW Asia and was the everyday speech of Syria, Mesopotamia, and Palestine. Abbreviation: Aram Compare Biblical Aramaic.
adjective
2.
pertaining to Aram, or to the languages spoken there.
3.
noting or pertaining to the alphabetical, or perhaps syllabic, script used for the writing of Aramaic from about the ninth century b.c. and from which were derived the hebrew, Arabic, Armenian, Pahlavi, Uighor, and many other scripts, probably including Brahmi.
Origin:
1825–35; < Greek aramaî(os) of Aram + -ic, modeled on Hebraic

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
Aramaic (ˌærəˈmeɪɪk) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  See also Biblical Aramaic an ancient language of the Middle East, still spoken in parts of Syria and the Lebanon, belonging to the NW Semitic subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic family. Originally the speech of Aram, in the 5th century bc it spread to become the lingua franca of the Persian empire
 
—adj
2.  of, relating to, or using this language

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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00:10
Aramaic is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

Aramaic
northern branch of Sem. language group, 1834, from biblical land of Aram, roughly corresponding to modern Syria, probably related to Heb. and Aramaic rum "to be high," thus originally "highland."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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