Aramaic

American  

[ar-uh-mey-ik] / ˌær əˈmeɪ ɪk /

noun

1. Also Aramaean a northwest Semitic language that from around 300 b.c. to a.d. 650 was a lingua franca for nearly all of southwestern Asia and was the everyday speech of Syria, Mesopotamia, and Palestine. Aram, Aram.

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adjective

1. pertaining to Aram, or to the languages spoken there.

2. noting or pertaining to the alphabetic, 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.

Aramaic British  

/ ˌærəˈmeɪɪk /

noun

1. 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 empire See also Biblical Aramaic

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or using this language

Etymology

Origin of Aramaic

First recorded in 1830–35; from Greek aramaî(os) “of Aram (Syria)” + -ic adjective suffix; see origin at Aram, -ic,

Example Sentences

The innovative tool is designed by a Harvard undergraduate in Computer Science, Mr Matthew Nazari, himself a heritage speaker of Aramaic.

From Science Daily • Apr. 2, 2024

Khaloul has been instrumental in reviving spoken Aramaic, believed to be the language of Jesus and one used in portions of the Bible.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 15, 2023

After the news broke earlier this week, an expert in ancient Aramaic inscriptions approached the Israel Antiquities Authority to explain that she herself had actually etched those words onto the ancient fragment.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 3, 2023

One surprising element was the presence of Atargatis, rendered with the Aramaic name of Attar’ata.

From New York Times • May 12, 2022

A far more important line evolved by way of the Aramaic alphabet, used for official documents of the Persian Empire, into the modern Arabic, Hebrew, Indian, and Southeast Asian alphabets.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond