Hebrew

[hee-broo]

noun

1. a member of the Semitic peoples inhabiting ancient Palestine and claiming descent from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; an Israelite.

2. a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic family, the language of the ancient Hebrews, which, although not in a vernacular use from 100 b.c. to the 20th century, was retained as the scholarly and liturgical language of Jews and is now the national language of Israel. Heb

adjective

1. Hebraic.

2. noting or pertaining to the script developed from the Aramaic and early Hebraic alphabets, used since about the 3rd century b.c. for the writing of Hebrew, and later for Yiddish, Ladino, and other languages.

Hebrew

/ ˈhiːbruː /

noun

1. the ancient language of the Hebrews, revived as the official language of Israel. It belongs to the Canaanitic branch of the Semitic subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic family of languages

2. a member of an ancient Semitic people claiming descent from Abraham; an Israelite

3. archaic,  a Jew

adjective

1. of or relating to the Hebrews or their language

2. archaic,  Jewish

Hebrew

1. The language of the Hebrews, in which the Old Testament was written. It is the language of the modern state of Israel.

Other Word Forms

• non-Hebrew noun
• pre-Hebrew adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hebrew¹

before 1000; Middle English Hebreu, variant (with H- < Latin ) of Ebreu < Old French < Medieval Latin Ebrēus for Latin Hebraeus < Late Greek Hebraîos < Aramaic ʿIbhraij; replacing Old English Ebrēas (plural) < Medieval Latin Ebrēī

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hebrew¹

C13: from Old French Ebreu, from Latin Hebraeus, from Greek Hebraios, from Aramaic `ibhray, from Hebrew `ibhrī one from beyond (the river)

Example Sentences

Indeed, there is a risk that trust between management and investors could erode over time, said Keren Bar-Hava, head of the accounting department at the Hebrew University Business School.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

That was due in part to assimilation of the Ashkenazi population -- forced and otherwise -- in the Soviet Union, the United States and Israel, where Hebrew is the official language.

Read more on Barron's

Editions are now available in Hebrew, English and French, and Sharabi hopes for more translations.

Read more on Barron's

The man, named only as Bernard, was struck by the car driven by Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, in his knife assault on Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue on 2 October.

Read more on BBC

But it’s a Shabbat dinner, complete with Hebrew prayers over challah.

Read more on Los Angeles Times