Semitic

English

Alternative forms

• semitic, Shemitic, shemitic

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA: /sɛˈmɪ.tɪk/, /səˈmɪ.tɪk/, X-SAMPA: /sE"mI.tIk/, /s@"mI.tIk/,

Etymology

From Semite +‎ -ic (18th century), from German semitisch, from Ancient Greek Σημ (Sēm), from the Hebrew שֵׂם (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  (šumu, “name" or "son”).

Adjective

Semitic (not comparable)

1. Of or pertaining to a subdivision of Afro-Asiatic Semitic languages: Amharic, Arabic, Aramaic, Syriac, Akkadian, Hebrew, Maltese, Tigrigna, Phoenician etc.
2. Of or pertaining to the Semites: Semitic people.
3. (biblical) Of or pertaining to the descendants of Shem, the eldest of three sons of Noah.
4. In a narrower sense, of or pertaining to the Israeli, Jewish, or Hebrew people.

Translations

pertaining to the Semitic subdivision of Afro-Asiatic languages

• Czech: semitský (cs)
• Dutch: Semitisch (nl)
• Esperanto: Semida (eo), semida (eo), Ŝemida (eo), ŝemida (eo)
• French: sémitique (fr)

• German: semitisch (de), schemitisch (de)
• Ido: Semida (io), semida (io), Semidala (io), semidala (io)
• Russian: семи́тский (ru) (semítskij)
• Spanish: semítico (es)

pertaining to the Semites

• French: sémitique (fr)
• German: semitisch (de)

Proper noun

Semitic

1. The Semitic languages in general.

See also

• Category:Semitic derivations

External links

• ISO 639-5 code sem [1]

Related terms

• anti-Semite
• anti-semite
• antisemite
• anti-Semitic
• anti-semitic
• antisemitic
• anti-Semitism
• anti-semitism
• antisemitism
• pro-Semite
• pro-semite
• prosemite
• pro-Semitic
• pro-semitic
• prosemitic
• pro-Semitism
• pro-semitism
• prosemitism
• Sem
• Semite
• Semitics
• Semitism
• Shem

See also

• Wikipedia article on Semitic languages.
• Wikipedia article on Shem.
• Wikipedia article on Sons of Noah.