Semite

[ sem-ahyt or, especially British, 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.

  1. a member of any of the peoples descended from Shem, the eldest son of Noah.

Origin of Semite

1
First recorded in 1870–75; from New Latin sēmīta, from Late Latin Sēm (from Greek Sḗm, from Hebrew Shēm Shem) + -īta -ite1

Other words from Semite

  • non-Semite, noun

Words Nearby Semite

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How to use Semite in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Semite

Semite

less commonly Shemite

/ (ˈsiːmaɪt) /


noun
  1. a member of the group of Caucasoid peoples who speak a Semitic language, including the Jews and Arabs as well as the ancient Babylonians, Assyrians, and Phoenicians

  2. another word for a Jew

Origin of Semite

1
C19: from New Latin sēmīta descendant of Shem, via Greek Sēm, from Hebrew Shem

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Semite

Semite

[ (sem-eyet) ]


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

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.