Hebrew
[ hee-broo ]
/ ˈhi bru /
noun
a member of the Semitic peoples inhabiting ancient Palestine and claiming descent from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; an Israelite.
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. Abbreviation: Heb
adjective
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Origin of Hebrew
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
OTHER WORDS FROM Hebrew
non-Hebrew, noun, adjectivepre-Hebrew, adjective, nounWords nearby Hebrew
Hebraicize, Hebraism, Hebraist, Hebraistic, Hebraize, Hebrew, Hebrew Bible, Hebrew calendar, Hebrews, Hebridean, Hebrides
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for Hebrew
British Dictionary definitions for Hebrew
Hebrew
/ (ˈhiːbruː) /
noun
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
a member of an ancient Semitic people claiming descent from Abraham; an Israelite
archaic, or offensive a Jew
adjective
of or relating to the Hebrews or their language
archaic, or offensive Jewish
Word Origin for Hebrew
C13: from Old French Ebreu, from Latin Hebraeus, from Greek Hebraios, from Aramaic `ibhray, from Hebrew `ibhrī one from beyond (the river)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Cultural definitions for Hebrew
Hebrew
The language of the Hebrews, in which the Old Testament was written. It is the language of the modern state of Israel.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.