Hittite

American  

[hit-ahyt] / ˈhɪt aɪt /

noun

1. a member of an ancient people who established a powerful empire in Asia Minor and Syria, dominant from about 1900 to 1200 b.c.

2. an extinct language of the Anatolian branch of Indo-European, preserved in cuneiform inscriptions of the second millennium b.c.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Hittites or their language.

Hittite British  

/ ˈhɪtaɪt /

noun

1. a member of an ancient people of Anatolia, who built a great empire in N Syria and Asia Minor in the second millennium _bc

2. the extinct language of this people, deciphered from cuneiform inscriptions found at Boǧazköy and elsewhere. It is clearly related to the Indo-European family of languages, although the precise relationship is disputed

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adjective

1. of or relating to this people, their civilization, or their language

Other Word Forms

• post-Hittite adjective

Etymology

Origin of Hittite

1600–10; < Hebrew ḥitt ( īm ) Hittite (compare Hittite Khatti ) + -ite ¹

Example Sentences

No one knows for sure what happened to the ancient Hittite Empire.

From Washington Post

It was previously controlled by the Hittites, Assyrians and the Ottoman Empire, Casana said.

From Seattle Times

The region hit hard by the quakes has been part of several empires, including the Hittite, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab and Ottoman.

From New York Times

Because of similarities between Indo-European and Anatolian languages such as ancient Hittite, linguists had guessed the Yamnaya had left both genes and language in Anatolia, as well as Europe.

From Science Magazine

If Moses hadn’t led the people of Israel through the Red Sea, Marjorie Taylor Greene would be concerned about Hittite space lasers.

From Washington Post