Semitic

The story

1. Akkadian · derived from𒈬
2. Hebrew · derived fromשֵׁם“Shem”
3. Ancient Greek · derived fromΣήμ
4. German · derived fromsemitisch
5. English todaySemitic

From Semite + -ic (18th century), from German semitisch, from Ancient Greek Σήμ (Sḗm), from the Hebrew שֵׁם (Šēm, “Shem”), the name of the eldest son of Noah in biblical tradition (Genesis 5.32, 6.10, 10.21), considered the forefather of the Semitic peoples. Perhaps derived from Akkadian 𒈬 (šumu, literally “name" or "son”). The word was coined and first applied to the Semitic languages by August Ludwig von Schlözer in 1781.

Words from the same roots