Midianite

[ mid-ee-uh-nahyt ]

noun

1. a member of an ancient desert people of northwest Arabia near the Gulf of Aqaba, believed to have descended from Midian.

adjective

1. of or relating to the Midianites.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Midianite¹

Midian + -ite ¹

Example Sentences

In short, Mastriano envisions himself as a hero fighting a last-ditch battle against evil for the soul of the nation, and he looks for inspiration not from the peacemakers of the Bible but from its military figures: The prophet Gideon, who leads 300 Israelite men to victory over a much larger Midianite army, and Queen Esther, who foils a plot to kill the Jews of Persia and secures the Jews’ right to kill their oppressors.

From Slate

The second text represented Joseph as falling into the hands of Midianite merchants, the revision added Ishmaelites.

From Project Gutenberg

In fact, they divided the world generally into Gideonite and Midianite, for they knew that he that was not with them was against them.

From Project Gutenberg

The other narrative speaks of the pursuit of the Midianite chiefs Zebah and Zalmunna3 across the northern end of Jordan, past Succoth and Penuel to the unidentified place Ḳarḳor.

From Project Gutenberg

The Bishop rages against Paine for supposing that the commanded preservation of the Midianite maidens, when all males and married women were slain, was for their "debauchery."

From Project Gutenberg