Levite

See also: levite, lévite, lévité, levité, and Lévite

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin Levītēs, Lēvīta, itself borrowed from Ancient Greek Λευῑ́της (Leuī́tēs). By surface analysis, Levi +‎ -ite.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈliː.vaɪt/

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

• Hyphenation: Le‧vite

Noun

Levite (plural Levites)

1. A member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi, particularly in its role as a priestly caste.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Judges 17:7:

     And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.

2. (obsolete, humorous) A clergyman.
3. (now historical) A type of loose dress.
   • 1779, Horace Walpole, letter, 15 November:

     A habit-maker […] is gone stark in love with Lady Ossory, on fitting her with the new dress, I think they call it a Levite, and says he never saw so glorious a figure […] .

   • 2003, Aileen Ribeiro, in Robyn Asleson, Notorious Muse, Yale UNiversity Press 2003, p. 109:

     Gainsborough shows her wearing a blue and white striped silk wrapping gown, known as a levite: a clever and subtle choice of costume, vaguely ‘oriental’ in mood, deriving its name from the theatre.

Synonyms

• Aaronite, Aaronid (descendants of Aaron)

Translations

member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi

• Catalan: levita (ca) m or f
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 利未人 (lei⁶ mei⁶ jan⁴)

  Mandarin: 利未人 (Lìwèirén)

• Estonian: leviit
• French: lévite (fr) m
• German: Levit m, Levitin f
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: Λευῑ́της m (Leuī́tēs)

• Hebrew: לוי (he) m (Levi)
• Italian: levita (it) m
• Latin: Lēvītēs m, Lēvīta m
• Polish: lewita (pl) m, Aaronita (pl) m
• Portuguese: aaronita m or f
• Spanish: levita (es) m or f
• Swahili: Mlawi
• Swedish: levit (sv) c

Adjective

Levite (not comparable)

1. Of or related to Levi, the Levites, or their priestly role.

Synonyms

• Aaronid, Aaronite

See also

• Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel)
• (descendants of the patriarch Jacob, later renamed Israel): Asher (Asherite), Benjamin (Benjaminite), Dan (Danite), Gad (Gadite), Issachar (Issacharite), Joseph (Josephite: Ephraim (Ephraimite), Manasseh (Manassite)), Judah (Judahite), Levi (Levite), Naphtali (Naphtalite), Reuben (Reubenite), Simeon (Simeonite), Zebulun (Zebulunite)
• Israel
• Israeli
• Israelite
• Israelitic
• Israelitish
• Jew
• Jewish
• Judah
• Judean

Anagrams

• velite