Semitic

American  

[suh-mit-ik] / səˈmɪt ɪk /

noun

1. a subfamily of Afroasiatic languages that includes Akkadian, Arabic, Aramaic, Ethiopic, Hebrew, and Phoenician. Sem, Sem.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to the Semites or their languages.

2. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Jews; Jewish.

Semitic British  

/ sɪˈmɪtɪk /

noun

1. a branch or subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic family of languages that includes Arabic, Hebrew, Aramaic, Amharic, and such ancient languages as Akkadian and Phoenician

---

adjective

1. denoting, relating to, or belonging to this group of languages

2. denoting, belonging to, or characteristic of any of the peoples speaking a Semitic language, esp the Jews or the Arabs

3. another word for Jewish

Semitic Cultural  

1. A descriptive term for several peoples of the Middle East and their descendants, including Jews (see also Jews) and Arabs (see Arab-Israeli conflict). Today the term is mainly applied to Jews. (See anti-Semitism.)

---

Other Word Forms

• half-Semitic adjective
• non-Semitic adjective
• pre-Semitic adjective
• pseudo-Semitic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Semitic

First recorded in 1810–15; from New Latin Sēmīticus, equivalent to Sēmīt(a) “(a) Semite” + -icus adjective suffix; Semite, -ic

Example Sentences

Semitic men and women walked the desert with animals.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 18, 2025

“These minor errors indicate that the priest was not a native Greek speaker but likely someone from the region who was raised speaking a Semitic language,” he said in the statement.

From Washington Times • Sep. 27, 2023

And then shortly after that, we also found some passages written in an ancient Semitic language called Akkadian that is related to Hebrew and Arabic today.

From Scientific American • May 18, 2023

Unlike the Babylonians, the Hittites were not from Mesopotamia, nor were they members of the Semitic language group.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

We instinctively associate Semitic peoples with the Near East.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond