Semite

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Sem·ite

(sĕm′īt′)

1. A member of any of the peoples speaking a Semitic language, including the Arabs, Arameans, Babylonians, Carthaginians, Hebrews, Phoenicians, and many of the peoples of Ethiopia.

2. A Jew.

3. Bible A descendant of Shem.

[Back-formation from Semitic.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Semite

(ˈsiːmaɪt) or less commonly

Shemite

1. (Peoples) a member of the group of Caucasoid peoples who speak a Semitic language, including the Jews and Arabs as well as the ancient Babylonians, Assyrians, and Phoenicians

2. (Peoples) another word for a Jew

[C19: from New Latin sēmīta descendant of Shem, via Greek Sēm, from Hebrew Shem]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Sem•ite

(ˈsɛm aɪt; esp. Brit. ˈsi maɪt)

n.

1. a member of a people speaking a Semitic language.

2. a member of any of the peoples descended from Shem, the eldest son of Noah.

[1870–75; < New Latin sēmīta < Late Latin Sēm (< Greek Sḗm < Hebrew Shēm Shem) + -īta -ite¹]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	Semite - a member of a group of Semitic-speaking peoples of the Middle East and northern Africa Caucasian, White, White person - a member of the Caucasoid race Babylonian - an inhabitant of ancient Babylon Chaldaean, Chaldean, Chaldee - an inhabitant of ancient Chaldea Assyrian - an inhabitant of ancient Assyria Phoenician - a member of an ancient Semitic people who dominated trade in the first millennium B.C. Arab, Arabian - a member of a Semitic people originally from the Arabian peninsula and surrounding territories who speaks Arabic and who inhabits much of the Middle East and northern Africa Aramaean, Aramean - a member of one of a group of Semitic peoples inhabiting Aram and parts of Mesopotamia from the 11th to the 8th century BC Canaanite - a member of an ancient Semitic people who occupied Canaan before it was conquered by the Israelites
Adj.	1.	Semite - of or relating to or characteristic of Semites; "Semite peoples" Semitic

Translations

sémite

semita

Semite

[ˈsiːmaɪt] N → semita mf

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

Semite

n → Semit m, → Semitin f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

References in classic literature ?

He went by the name of Said, and was notable among other Semites for that unnatural length of his yellow face and height of his narrow forehead which is sometimes seen among them, and gave an irrational impression of something sinister, in spite of his agreeable smile.

View in context

And they could all see the point except an owl that come from Nova Scotia to visit the Yo Semite, and he took this thing in on his way back.

View in context

This volume is the first study to focus in detail on changing perceptions of West Semites in Egypt over time using a multi-disciplined approach that synthesizes data from a wide variety of sources.

Asiatics in Middle Kingdom Egypt: Perceptions and Reality

What I would like to do in this article is to ask what happens if we take anti-Semitism at its word, literally that is, as targeting all Semites and not only the Jews.

Anti-semitism and islamophobia: the formation of a secret

Although both Jews and Arabs are Semites, in the convoluted double-speak Zionist world of Philip Mendes apparently it is possible to be both 'anti-Semitic and pro-Arab' (pro-Palestinian).

Reply to Philip Mendes 3

So why were so many salonnieres Semites? Was there an international conspiracy of Jewish ladies behind modern art?

Shmooze who

1) How can the Palestinians be "anti-Semite," when they themselves are "Semites"?

Unsupported statements

From the perspective of the West Semites, the aggressive farmers have encroached on-and ultimately murdered -- their pastoral society.