Aramaic

[ ar-uh-mey-ik ]

noun

1. Also Aramaean. a northwest Semitic language that from around 300 b.c. to a.d. 650 was a lingua franca for nearly all of southwestern Asia and was the everyday speech of Syria, Mesopotamia, and Palestine. : Aram, Aram. Compare Biblical Aramaic.

adjective

1. pertaining to Aram, or to the languages spoken there.
2. noting or pertaining to the alphabetic, or perhaps syllabic, script used for the writing of Aramaic from about the ninth century b.c. and from which were derived the Hebrew, Arabic, Armenian, Pahlavi, Uighor, and many other scripts, probably including Brahmi.

Aramaic

/ ˌærəˈmeɪɪk /

noun

1. an ancient language of the Middle East, still spoken in parts of Syria and the Lebanon, belonging to the NW Semitic subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic family. Originally the speech of Aram, in the 5th century bc it spread to become the lingua franca of the Persian empire See also Biblical Aramaic

adjective

1. of, relating to, or using this language

Word History and Origins

Origin of Aramaic¹

First recorded in 1830–35; from Greek aramaî(os) “of Aram (Syria)” + -ic adjective suffix; Aram, -ic,

Example Sentences

The innovative tool is designed by a Harvard undergraduate in Computer Science, Mr Matthew Nazari, himself a heritage speaker of Aramaic.

From Science Daily

Khaloul has been instrumental in reviving spoken Aramaic, believed to be the language of Jesus and one used in portions of the Bible.

From Los Angeles Times

The preserve overlooks the Kadisha Valley — Aramaic for “sacred” – where many Christians took refuge from persecution over Lebanon’s tumultuous history.

From Seattle Times

After the news broke earlier this week, an expert in ancient Aramaic inscriptions approached the Israel Antiquities Authority to explain that she herself had actually etched those words onto the ancient fragment.

From Seattle Times

The alphabet continued to evolve, from Phoenician to Old Hebrew to Old Aramaic to Ancient Greek to Latin, becoming the basis for today’s modern English characters.

From New York Times