Sinai

American  

[sahy-nahy, sahy-nee-ahy] / ˈsaɪ naɪ, ˈsaɪ niˌaɪ /

noun

1. Also called Sinai Peninsula.  a peninsula in northeastern Egypt, at the northern end of the Red Sea between the Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba. 230 miles (370 km) long.

2. Mount Sinai, the mountain, in southern Sinai, of uncertain identity, on which Moses received the law. Exodus 19.

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Sinai British  

/ ˈsaɪnaɪ, ˈsaɪnɪˌaɪ /

noun

1. a mountainous peninsula of NE Egypt at the N end of the Red Sea, between the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba: occupied by Israel in 1967; fully restored by 1982

2. the mountain where Moses received the Law from God (Exodus 19–20): often identified as Jebel Musa, sometimes as Jebel Serbal, both on the S Sinai Peninsula

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Sinai Cultural  

1. Peninsula in northeastern Egypt (see also Egypt), bordered by the Gulf of Aqaba, an arm of the Red Sea, to the east, and the Gulf of Suez, another arm of the Red Sea, to the west.

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Discover More

In the Bible (see also Bible), Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai.

Sinai has been the scene of fighting during the Arab-Israeli conflict. Israel conquered and occupied Sinai in the Six-Day War but returned the region to Egypt in 1982.

Other Word Forms

• Sinaic adjective
• Sinaitic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Sinai

From Late Latin Sinai, from Greek Siná, from Hebrew Sīnaī, of uncertain origin and meaning

Example Sentences

When the Suez crisis erupted that year, Morris, reporting for the Guardian, exposed the role of French jets in aiding Israel’s advance into the Sinai Peninsula.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Dr. Sundar Jagannath, network director for the Center of Excellence for Multiple Myeloma at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, meanwhile, supports the use of the term cure.

From Slate • Mar. 29, 2026

Researchers at Sinai Health have identified a blood test that can signal the risk of Crohn's disease years before symptoms begin.

From Science Daily • Jan. 22, 2026

Sinai Savon Salazar, a 32-year-old Cuban immigrant, and her husband found jobs at the JBS meatpacking plant about 90 miles east in Grand Island, Neb., and expect to move soon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

“I think I know Mrs. Haines. She joined us around a month ago. Lives about three blocks from here and goes to Mount Sinai Church, yes?”

From "Betty Before X" by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson