shittah

[shit-uh]

noun, plural shit·tim [shit-im] /ˈʃɪt ɪm/, shit·tahs.

a tree, said to be an acacia, probably Acacia seyal, that yielded the shittim wood of the Old Testament.

Nearby words

Origin of shittah

First recorded in 1605–15, shittah is from the Hebrew word shiṭṭāh

shittim wood

[shit-im]

noun

the wood, probably acacia, of which the ark of the covenant and various parts of the tabernacle were made. Ex. 25, 26.

the cascara, Rhamnus purshiana.

false buckthorn.

Origin of shittim wood

1580–90; < Hebrew shiṭṭīm, plural of shiṭṭāh (see shittah)

Also called shit·tim.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for shittim

Omitted from the above is the strange clause from Shittim to Gilgal, which appears to be a gloss.
The Expositor's Bible: The Book of the Twelve Prophets, Vol. I|George Adam Smith
The host of Israel had been encamped for some time at Shittim on the east side of the river Jordan.
The Expositor's Bible: The Book of Joshua|William Garden Blaikie
Joshua rose up early in the morning and set out from Shittim.
The Children's Bible|Henry A. Sherman
By some it is thought that the timber of A. arabica is identical with the Shittim tree, or wood of the Bible.
Catalogue of Economic Plants in the Collection of the U. S. Department of Agriculture|William Saunders

The whole land of the plain and the valley of Shittim as far as Mount Nebo are visible from here.
The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela|Benjamin of Tudela

British Dictionary definitions for shittim

Shittim

noun

Old Testament the site to the east of the Jordan and northeast of the Dead Sea where the Israelites encamped before crossing the Jordan (Numbers 25:1–9)

shittah

noun plural shittim (ˈʃɪtɪm) or shittahs

a tree mentioned in the Old Testament, thought to be either of two Asian acacias, Acacia seyal or A. tortilis, having close-grained yellow-brown wood

Word Origin for shittah

C17: from Hebrew shittāh; related to Egyptian sout acacia

shittim wood

noun

Old Testament a kind of wood, probably acacia, from which the Ark of the Covenant and parts of the tabernacle were made

Word Origin for shittim wood

C14: from Hebrew shittīm, plural of shittah

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012