definitions

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

Hebraic.
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.

RELATED CONTENT

How Do You Spell Chanukah (Or Is It Hanukkah)?Hanukkah has commenced. So has Chanukah, Hannukah, Hannukkah, and Channukah. Why is this Jewish holiday, also known as the Festival of Lights, spelled in so many ways?
READ MORE
Ode To The SchwaHow do I love thee? Let me count the schwas. Not exactly what Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote in Sonnet 43 . . . but we like it all the same. Why? Because it finally pays tribute to the most frequent vowel sound in English: the schwa. What is the schwa and how does it sound? Simply put, the schwa is a reduced vowel sound written as …
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

Hasidic, Judaistic, Semitic

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
Related formsnon-He·brew, noun, adjectivepre-He·brew, adjective, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples 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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for hebrew

Hebrew

adj.

late Old English, from Old French Ebreu, from Latin Hebraeus, from Greek Hebraios, from Aramaic 'ebhrai, corresponding to Hebrew 'ibhri "an Israelite," literally "one from the other side," in reference to the River Euphrates, or perhaps simply signifying "immigrant;" from 'ebher "region on the other or opposite side." The noun is c.1200, "the Hebrew language;" late 14c. of persons, originally "a biblical Jew, Israelite."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Culture 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.