Syriac

American  

[seer-ee-ak] / ˈsɪər iˌæk /

noun

1. a form of Aramaic used by various Eastern Churches.

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Syriac British  

/ ˈsɪrɪˌæk /

noun

1. a dialect of Aramaic spoken in Syria until about the 13th century _ad and still in use as a liturgical language of certain Eastern churches

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Other Word Forms

• pre-Syriac adjective

Etymology

Origin of Syriac

< Latin Syriacus < Greek Syriakós. See Syria, -ac

Example Sentences

Living in the Syriac Quarter near Ashrafieh, Serjian said "we have nowhere else to go, so we'll stay in our home".

From Barron's • Jan. 7, 2026

There was a hymn sung in Greek by the Coptic Orthodox Diocesan Choir and a carol by the choir of the Syriac Orthodox Church.

From BBC • Dec. 10, 2025

Scholars were often native speakers of Greek and Syriac who were generally non-Muslim.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

“Until recently, only two manuscripts were known to contain the Old Syriac translation of the gospels.”

From Washington Times • Apr. 13, 2023

Accordingly, in the earliest times translations must have been made from Aramaic or Syriac into Latin, as afterwards from Greek.

From The Traditional Text of the Holy Gospels by Burgon, John William