Hebrew

American  

[hee-broo] / ˈhi bru /

noun

• Hebrews
  plural

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

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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 British  

/ 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

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Hebrews or their language

2. archaic Jewish

Hebrew Cultural  

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• non-Hebrew
  noun
• pre-Hebrew
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Hebrews
  plural

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Hebrew Hebrews

Israeli tank tracks were still visible on the ground, while Hebrew writing was seen on the wall of one home.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

It also mean in Arabic, in Hebrew, home.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026

Beginning in the 1880s, he funded Hebrew schools there, as well as agricultural settlements and archaeological excavations meant to reconnect Jews to the soil and the ancient Hebrew civilization buried beneath it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

According to new research from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the answer may begin unfolding in the brain several seconds before any movement takes place.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 2, 2026

He drew a map to his school on the back of a grocery list written in Hebrew from his pocket.

From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye

I thought of Hebrews 13:2: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025

Yet the Hebrew Bible shows that Hebrews were as terrified of existential uprootedness as Blaise Pascal or any Christian king.

From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2024

The Black Hebrews, as the spiritual community’s members are commonly known, first made their way to Israel from the United States in the 1960s.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 20, 2023

Over the decades, the Black Hebrews have made gradual inroads into Israeli society.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 20, 2023

On the day of the conversation about intelligent design, Dr. Atchley walked and thought, and later that night, he crafted an email back to his student in which he quoted Hebrews 11:1.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel