Hebrew

[hee-broo]

noun

1. a member of the Semitic peoples inhabiting ancient Palestine and claiming descent from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; an Israelite.

2. a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic family, the language of the ancient Hebrews, which, although not in a vernacular use from 100 b.c. to the 20th century, was retained as the scholarly and liturgical language of Jews and is now the national language of Israel. Heb

adjective

1. Hebraic.

2. noting or pertaining to the script developed from the Aramaic and early Hebraic alphabets, used since about the 3rd century b.c. for the writing of Hebrew, and later for Yiddish, Ladino, and other languages.

Hebrew

/ ˈhiːbruː /

noun

1. the ancient language of the Hebrews, revived as the official language of Israel. It belongs to the Canaanitic branch of the Semitic subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic family of languages

2. a member of an ancient Semitic people claiming descent from Abraham; an Israelite

3. archaic,  a Jew

adjective

1. of or relating to the Hebrews or their language

2. archaic,  Jewish

Hebrew

1. The language of the Hebrews, in which the Old Testament was written. It is the language of the modern state of Israel.

Other Word Forms

• non-Hebrew noun
• pre-Hebrew adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hebrew¹

before 1000; Middle English Hebreu, variant (with H- < Latin ) of Ebreu < Old French < Medieval Latin Ebrēus for Latin Hebraeus < Late Greek Hebraîos < Aramaic ʿIbhraij; replacing Old English Ebrēas (plural) < Medieval Latin Ebrēī

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hebrew¹

C13: from Old French Ebreu, from Latin Hebraeus, from Greek Hebraios, from Aramaic `ibhray, from Hebrew `ibhrī one from beyond (the river)

Example Sentences

“What it does not say is that in Hebrew the name Chaim means ‘life.’”

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Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have found that the magnetic component of light plays a direct part in the Faraday Effect, overturning a 180-year belief that only light's electric field was involved.

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Shops in some areas had signs in Hebrew.

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Hateful messages promising revenge were spray painted in Hebrew on the outside of the building, the photographs showed.

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A team from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has created a drug-like molecule that can locate and eliminate an RNA segment tied to cancer development.

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