Semitic
Syllables: Se·mi·tic/səˈmɪt.ɪk/US/səˈmɪt.ɪk/
Semitic adjective: of or pertaining to a subdivision of Afroasiatic Semitic languages: Akkadian, Amharic, Arabic, Aramaic, Hebrew, Maltese, Phoenician, Syriac, Tigrigna etc.
Adjective
Semitic (not comparable)
- 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.2008, Gary A. Tobin, The Trouble with Textbooks, page 93
- For quotations using this term, see Citations:Semitic.
- 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.1893, George Thomas Bettany, Mohammedanism and Other Religions of Mediterranean Countries, page 45
- The Semitic religions (Christianity and Islam) are nationally honored in much of Africa.2011, Makau Mutua, Human Rights: A Political and Cultural Critique, page 114
Proper noun
Semitic
- The Semitic languages in general.
Semitic meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Bengali
Semitic in Hindi
- pertaining to the Semites
- सामी sāmī
- pertaining to the Semitic subdivision of Afroasiatic languages
- सामी sāmī
- Semitic languages in general
- सेमिटिक semiṭik
Semitic in Tamil
- செமிட்டிக் இனஞ் சார்ந்த
Semitic in Urdu
- pertaining to the Semitic subdivision of Afroasiatic languages
- سامی sāmī
Semitic in Bengali
- pertaining to the Semites
- সামী samī
- pertaining to the Semitic subdivision of Afroasiatic languages
- সামী samī
- Semitic languages in general
- সামী samī
More languagesFewer languages
- Semitic in Pashto
- سامي sāmí
- Semitic in Arabic
- سَامِيّ sāmiyy
- Semitic in Vietnamese
- Xê-mít
Forms of Semitic
| alternative form | semitic |
|---|---|
| alternative form | Shemitic |
| alternative form | shemitic |
Origin of Semitic
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.
Words formed from Semitic
Phrases with Semitic
Words that rhyme with Semitic
Questions about Semitic
- What does Semitic mean?
- Semitic means of or pertaining to a subdivision of Afroasiatic Semitic languages: Akkadian, Amharic, Arabic, Aramaic, Hebrew, Maltese, Phoenician, Syriac, Tigrigna etc.
- What is Semitic in Hindi?
- Semitic in Hindi is सामी (sāmī), सेमिटिक (semiṭik). See Semitic meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is Semitic?
- Semitic can be an adjective or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce Semitic?
- Semitic is pronounced /səˈmɪt.ɪk/ (UK).
Words near Semitic in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: Semitic (page history and authors); Semitic (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Semitic.wav.
Cite this entry: “Semitic.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/semitic. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.