Israelite

American  

[iz-ree-uh-lahyt, -rey-] / ˈɪz ri əˌlaɪt, -reɪ- /

noun

1. a descendant of Jacob, especially a member of the Hebrew people who inhabited the ancient kingdom of Israel.

2. one of a group considered by its members or by others as God's chosen people.

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adjective

1. of or relating to ancient Israel or its people; Hebrew.

Israelite British  

/ ˈɪzrɪəˌlaɪt, -rə- /

noun

1. Bible a member of the ethnic group claiming descent from Jacob; a Hebrew

2. Bible a citizen of the kingdom of Israel (922 to 721 _bc ) as opposed to Judah

3. a member of any of various Christian sects who regard themselves as God's chosen people

4. an archaic and sometimes offensive word for a Jew

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Other Word Forms

• non-Israelite noun
• pre-Israelite adjective

Etymology

Origin of Israelite

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; Israel, -ite ¹

Example Sentences

Nakaya is also a senior researcher at Einstein Israelite Hospital and a professor at the University of São Paulo's School of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

From Science Daily • Jan. 30, 2026

On Sunday night Jews celebrated the beginning of Hanukkah, which commemorates the Israelite victory in 167 B.C. over the Seleucids and their effort to impose their Greek identity on the people of Israel.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025

The Brazilian Israelite Confederation said Lula's remarks were a "perverse distortion of reality" which "offend the memory of Holocaust victims and their descendants".

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2024

The president of the Central Israelite Committee of Uruguay, Roby Schindler, sent a letter to the Sofitel hotel urging it not to host Waters, Pagina 12 said.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 15, 2023

He was the sort of man who would become a British Israelite nowadays, and spend the rest of his life prophesying the end of the world by measuring the passages in the Great Pyramid.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White