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semite - 5 dictionary results

Sem⋅ite

[sem-ahyt or, especially Brit., see-mahyt]
–noun
1. a member of any of various ancient and modern peoples originating in southwestern Asia, including the Akkadians, Canaanites, Phoenicians, Hebrews, and Arabs.
2. a Jew.
3. a member of any of the peoples descended from Shem, the eldest son of Noah.

Origin:
1870–75; < NL sēmīta < LL Sēm (< Gk Sm < Heb Shēm Shem ) + -īta -ite 1
Sem·ite   (sěm'īt')   
n.  
  1. A member of a group of Semitic-speaking peoples of the Near East and northern Africa, including the Arabs, Arameans, Babylonians, Carthaginians, Ethiopians, Hebrews, and Phoenicians.
  2. A Jew.
  3. Bible A descendant of Shem.

[Back-formation from Semitic.]

Semite

Sem"ite\, n. One belonging to the Semitic race. Also used adjectively. [Written also Shemite.]

Semite [(sem-eyet)]

Someone who belongs to the Semitic peoples. The Semites are supposedly descended from the biblical Shem, the eldest son of Noah.


Semite 
1847, "Jew, Arab, Assyrian, Aramæan," from Mod.L. Semita, from L.L. Sem "Shem," one of the three sons of Noah (Gen. x:21-30), regarded as the ancestor of the Semites (in the days when anthropology was still bound by the Bible), from Heb. Shem. Semitic (1813 of languages, 1826 of persons) is probably from Ger. semitisch (first used by Ger. historian August Schlözer, 1781), denoting the language group that includes Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic, Assyrian, etc. In recent use often with the specific sense "Jewish," but not historically so limited.
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