# semites

CEFR C2 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/semites
Updated: 2026-10-19

## Definition

people from groups that speak Semitic languages, like Arabic and Hebrew.

For teachers: members of peoples speaking or descended from speakers of a Semitic language, including Arabs, Jews and other historically related groups of the Middle East and North Africa.

## Examples

- Scholars study where semites live today.
- The museum exhibit shows how semites spread their languages across a wide area thousands of years ago.
- Historians debate how ancient semites shaped trade and writing, leaving traces in languages that people still speak across a vast region today.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.