Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

semite

/ˈsɛm.aɪt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.68 in modern English

Syllables
Se-mite
IPA
/ˈsɛm.aɪt/
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A member of a modern people that speak a Semitic language.

noun

A member of any of a number of peoples of ancient southwestern Asia and East Africa such as the Akkadians, Assyrians, Arameans, Phoenicians, Canaanites, Hebrews, Arabs, or Aksumites.

noun

A descendant of any of these peoples.

noun

A descendant of the biblical Patriarch Shem.

noun

A Jew.

Derogatory

Etymology

From Sem, Shem + -ite, from Late Latin Sēm, from Ancient Greek Σήμ (Sḗm), from Biblical Hebrew שם (šēm). Compare German Semit, New Latin Sēmīta, French sémite.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈsɛm.aɪt/
  • British English: /ˈsiː.maɪt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Semites (plural) Shemite (alternative)

Derived Forms

allosemitism prosemite Semitist Semitization Semitize Semitology

Phrases

anti-Semite

Frequently Paired Words

Semitic Semitism

Synonyms

semitic

Questions

How do you pronounce semite?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsɛm.aɪt/.
What does semite mean?
A member of a modern people that speak a Semitic language.
Where does semite come from?
It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce semite

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “semite”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈsɛm.aɪt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “semite”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “semite” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.