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• Levantine
  Levantine

  adjective

  of or relating to the Levant.
• levantine
  levantine

  adjective

  of or relating to the Levant

Levantine

American  

[lev-uhn-tahyn, -teen, li-van-tin, -tahyn] / ˈlɛv ənˌtaɪn, -ˌtin, lɪˈvæn tɪn, -taɪn /

adjective

1. of or relating to the Levant.

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noun

1. Sometimes Offensive. a native of the Levant.

levantine ¹ British  

/ ˈlɛvənˌtaɪn /

adjective

1. of or relating to the Levant

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noun

1. (esp formerly) an inhabitant of the Levant

levantine ² British  

/ ˈlɛvənˌtaɪn /

noun

1. a cloth of twilled silk

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Sensitive Note

The use of the word Levantine as a noun, as in the head of HR is a Levantine or Levantines are a key demographic, may sometimes be offensive when not used in self-reference.

Other Word Forms

• Levantinism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Levantine

First recorded in 1640–50; Levant + -ine ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Levantine levantine

Certainly not when he serves his take on sfeeha, a traditional Levantine meat pie.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025

Make your next weekend brunch memorable with these picks from the 101 Best Restaurants guide, including a Levantine option in Long Beach, soul food in Mid-City, modern Mexican in the Arts District and more.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2024

Growing up in northern England, Hankir found it challenging to fit in as a young Muslim girl with Levantine and Egyptian heritage.

From Salon ● Dec. 30, 2023

Gezer is an ancient southern Levantine city, well known from Egyptian, Assyrian, and Biblical texts and associated with stories of power struggles and significant historical figures.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 16, 2023

Did the ghosts of Levantine girls haunt those cursory checkups, suggested by the fragility of my collarbone, or the birdcall of my small, congested lungs?

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

You will see how smart I shall look in my pretty dress of blue levantine, that I only wear on Sundays: it suits me to perfection.

From Mysteries of Paris — Volume 02 by Sue, Eugène

Huge cliffs of levantine freshwater deposits now mark the new coast-line, and the Mediterranean advances steadily towards the Black Sea and the Sea of Asov.

From The History of the European Fauna by Scharff, Robert Francis

I am going into Second street; shall I look among the best stores for some black levantine? or would you rather have mode?

From Pencil Sketches or, Outlines of Character and Manners by Leslie, Eliza

And, indeed, Lavretsky found all his aunt's household goods intact, not excepting the best cap with ribbons of salmon colour, and the yellow gown of tru-tru levantine.

From A House of Gentlefolk by Garnett, Constance

The tie of a small apron of dark green levantine formed a girdle around a waist which might have been spanned by the ten fingers.

From The Mysteries of Paris, Volume 2 of 6 by Sue, Eugène