Israelite
/ˈɪz.ɹi.əˌlaɪt/ noun, adjective
Forms Israelites
- noun A native or inhabitant of
- noun A member of the Twelve Tribes of Israel and a descendant of Jacob.
- noun A member of the Jewish people who is neither a cohen nor a Levite.
- noun (historical) A club used as a weapon by the Circumcellions.
- adjective Of or pertaining to the ancient nation(s) of Israel or its inhabitants.
- adjective (rare, chiefly in Protestantism) Of or pertaining to the descendants of the patriarch Jacob.
Synonyms
Etymology
From the Latin Isrāēlīta (“Israelite”), from the Ancient Greek Ἰσρᾱηλῑ́της (Isrāēlī́tēs, “Israelite”), from Ἰσρᾱήλ (Isrāḗl, “Israel”), from the Hebrew יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yiśrāʼēl, “Israel”); by surface analysis, Israel + -ite.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A descendant of Israel, or Jacob; a Hebrew; a Jew.
Etymology [L. Israëlites, Gr. Yisra, i. e., champion of God; sarah to fight + God.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “Israelite”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details