Syriac

American  

[seer-ee-ak] / ˈsɪər iˌæk /

noun

1. a form of Aramaic used by various Eastern Churches.

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Syriac British  

/ ˈsɪrɪˌæk /

noun

1. a dialect of Aramaic spoken in Syria until about the 13th century _ad and still in use as a liturgical language of certain Eastern churches

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Other Word Forms

• pre-Syriac
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Syriac

< Latin Syriacus < Greek Syriakós. See Syria, -ac

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Syriac

Living in the Syriac Quarter near Ashrafieh, Serjian said "we have nowhere else to go, so we'll stay in our home".

From Barron's ● Jan. 7, 2026

Zaki Aydin, a 50-year-old Syriac language teacher in Orebro, said he was afraid for the first time for his young students, who are mostly from the Middle East.

From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2025

Syriac Christians translated Greek works into Arabic, Persians served as administrators, and Jewish people and Christians alike were bankers and physicians.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023

The portion includes an ancient version of Matthew 12:1 that augments the earliest known Greek manuscripts, which the Old Syriac predates by at least a century.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 13, 2023

We possess no actual copies of the New Testament so old as the Syriac and the Latin Versions by probably more than two hundred years.

From The Traditional Text of the Holy Gospels by Burgon, John William