Aramaic
[ ar-uh-mey-ik ]
/ ˌær əˈmeɪ ɪk /
noun
Also Aramean, Aramaean. a northwest Semitic language that from c300 b.c.–a.d. 650 was a lingua franca for nearly all of SW Asia and was the everyday speech of Syria, Mesopotamia, and Palestine. Compare Biblical Aramaic.
adjective
pertaining to Aram, or to the languages spoken there.
noting or pertaining to the alphabetical, or perhaps syllabic, script used for the writing of Aramaic from about the ninth century b.c. and from which were derived the Hebrew, Arabic, Armenian, Pahlavi, Uighor, and many other scripts, probably including Brahmi.
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British Dictionary definitions for aramaic
Aramaic
/ (ˌærəˈmeɪɪk) /
noun
an ancient language of the Middle East, still spoken in parts of Syria and the Lebanon, belonging to the NW Semitic subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic family. Originally the speech of Aram, in the 5th century bc it spread to become the lingua franca of the Persian empireSee also Biblical Aramaic
adjective
of, relating to, or using this language
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for aramaic
Aramaic
northern branch of Semitic language group, 1834, from biblical land of Aram, roughly corresponding to modern Syria; probably related to Hebrew and Aramaic rum "to be high," thus originally "highland."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper