Word
semitic
Phoneticssemitic
/səˈmɪtɪk/
Definition
adj. describing a group of languages from the Middle East, including Arabic and Hebrew. It can also describe the people who speak these languages or their history.
adj. relating to or denoting a family of languages that includes Hebrew, Arabic, and Aramaic and certain ancient languages such as Phoenician and Akkadian. Also used to describe the peoples who speak these languages.
Examples
“Arabic and Hebrew are both Semitic languages.”
“Scholars study ancient Semitic inscriptions to understand how early alphabets developed in the Middle East.”
“The linguistic similarities between various Semitic branches allow researchers to trace the migration patterns of ancient populations across the Levant and Mesopotamia with significant accuracy.”
Examples
simple
“Arabic and Hebrew are both Semitic languages.”
contextual
“Scholars study ancient Semitic inscriptions to understand how early alphabets developed in the Middle East.”
complex
“The linguistic similarities between various Semitic branches allow researchers to trace the migration patterns of ancient populations across the Levant and Mesopotamia with significant accuracy.”
Usage
Typically used as an attributive adjective before a noun like 'languages', 'peoples', or 'roots'.
Etymology
From Semite + -ic (18th century), from German semitisch, from Ancient Greek Σήμ (Sḗm), from the Hebrew שֵׁם (Šēm, “Shem”), the name of the eldest son of Noah in biblical tradition (Genesis 5.32, 6.10, 10.21), considered the forefather of the Semitic peoples. Perhaps derived from Akkadian 𒈬 (šumu, literally “name" or "son”). The word was coined and first applied to the Semitic languages by August Ludwig von Schlözer in 1781.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/semitic