Semitic
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
Semitic
- /səˈmɪt.ɪk/ UK
- /səˈmɪt.ɪk/ Australia, US
- [səˈmɪɾ.ɪk] Australia, US
- /səˈmɛtɪk/ Australia, US, nonstandard
Rhymes with -ɪtɪk
Where it comes from
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.
adjective semitic · Shemitic · shemitic
- Of or pertaining to a subdivision of Afroasiatic Semitic languages: Akkadian, Amharic, Arabic, Aramaic, Hebrew, Maltese, Phoenician, Syriac, Tigrigna etc.
- Of or pertaining to the Semites; of or pertaining to one or more Semitic peoples. On the other hand, scholars say that the Philistines were an Indo-European people not related to the Semitic Palestinians.
- Of or pertaining to the descendants of Shem, the eldest of three sons of Noah.
- Of or pertaining to the Israeli, Jewish, or Hebrew people.
- Of or pertaining to any of the religions which originated among the Semites; Abrahamic. Thus we trace ever and again the similarities which are to be found among the Semitic religions.
noun Semitics · semitic · Shemitic · shemitic
- A Semite. Dr. A. H. Sayce and others maintain that the Turanians gave the Semitics their civilization.
proper noun semitic · Shemitic · shemitic
- The Semitic languages in general.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: semite, hebraic, arabian, arab, israelite, hebrew, jewish, syriac, aramaic, arabic, ugaritic, chaldean, assyrian, akkadian, canaanite, phoenician
Translations
Every language
adj pertaining to the Semites
| हिन्दी | सामी sāmī |
|---|---|
| Português | semita, semítico |
| Français | sémitique |
| Deutsch | semitisch |
adj pertaining to the Semitic subdivision of Afroasiatic languages
| Español | semítico |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 셈 sem |
| 日本語 | セム semu |
| 中文 | 閃米特 /闪米特 shǎnmǐtè, 閃 /闪 shǎn |
| हिन्दी | सामी sāmī |
| Português | semita, semítico |
| Français | sémitique |
| Deutsch | semitisch, schemitisch |
| Ελληνικά | σημιτικός simitikós |
| Română | semitic |
| Русский | семи́тский semítskij |
| Tiếng Việt | Xê-mít |
| العربية | سَامِيّ sāmiyy |
| עברית | שֵׁמִי shémi |
name Semitic languages in general
| 中文 | 閃米特語 /闪米特语 shǎnmǐtèyǔ |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | सेमिटिक semiṭik |
| Português | semítico |
| Deutsch | semitisch |
Talk about this word "Semitic." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/semitic. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. Semitic. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/semitic "Semitic." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/semitic.Cite this
@misc{semitic_2026,
title = {Semitic},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/semitic},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
