Semite

Semite
/sem"uyt/ or, esp. Brit., /see"muyt/, n.
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.
[1870-75; < NL semita < LL Sem ( < Gk Sém < Heb Shem SHEM) + -ita -ITE1]

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Person speaking one of a group of related languages, presumably derived from a common language, Semitic (see Semitic languages).

The term came to include Arabs, Akkadians, Canaanites, some Ethiopians, and Aramaean tribes including Hebrews. Semitic tribes migrated from the Arabian Peninsula, beginning с 2500 BC, to the Mediterranean coast, Mesopotamia, and the Nile River delta. In Phoenicia, they became seafarers. In Mesopotamia, they blended with the civilization of Sumer. The Hebrews settled at last with other Semites in Palestine.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • sémite — [ semit ] n. et adj. • 1845; de Sem, nom d un fils de Noé ♦ Se dit des différents peuples provenant d un groupe ethnique originaire d Asie occidentale et parlant des langues apparentées (⇒ sémitique). Les Arabes, les Éthiopiens, les Juifs sont… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Semite — Sem ite, n. One belonging to the Semitic race. Also used adjectively. [Written also {Shemite}.] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 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 …   Etymology dictionary

  • Semite — ► NOUN ▪ a member of a people speaking a Semitic language, in particular the Jews and Arabs. ORIGIN from Greek S m Shem , son of Noah in the Bible, from whom these people are traditionally descended …   English terms dictionary

  • Semite — [sem′īt΄; ] chiefly Brit [ sē′mīt΄] n. [ModL Semita < LL(Ec) Sem, Shem < Gr (Ec) Sem < Heb shem, a son of Noah (Gen.7:13)] 1. a person regarded as descended from Shem 2. a member of any of the peoples speaking a Semitic language,… …   English World dictionary

  • SÉMITE — n. des deux genres Celui, celle qui appartient à la race dont on fait remonter l’origine à Sem. Un sémite. Adjectivement, Le type sémite …   Dictionnaire de l'Academie Francaise, 8eme edition (1935)

  • Semite — UK [ˈsiːmaɪt] / UK [ˈsemaɪt] / US [ˈseˌmaɪt] noun [countable] Word forms Semite : singular Semite plural Semites someone who belongs to any of several groups of people who originally came from the Middle East, including Jews and Arabs …   English dictionary

  • Semite — noun Etymology: French sémite, from Semitic Shem, from Late Latin, from Greek Sēm, from Hebrew Shēm Date: 1848 1. a. a member of any of a number of peoples of ancient southwestern Asia including the Akkadians, Phoenicians, Hebrews, and Arabs b. a …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Sémite — Sémites Les Sémites sont un ensemble de peuples utilisant ou ayant utilisé les langues sémitiques. Ils regroupent plusieurs peuples différents, et dont les individus les composant sont d origines ethniques différentes. La seule utilisation de l… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Semite — noun /sɛ.ˈmaɪt/ a) A member of any of a number of peoples of ancient southwestern Asia including the Akkadians, Phoenicians, Hebrews, and Arabs. b) A descendant of these peoples …   Wiktionary

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