Aramaic
//ˌæ.ɹəˈmeɪ.ɪk// adj, name, noun
adj, name, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An Aramean.
- 2 an alphabetical (or perhaps syllabic) script used since the 9th century BC to write the Aramaic language; many other scripts were subsequently derived from it wordnet
- 3 a Semitic language originally of the ancient Arameans but still spoken by other people in southwestern Asia wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Referring to the Aramaic language, alphabet, culture or poetry. not-comparable
Adjective
- 1 of or relating to the ancient Aramaic languages wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A subfamily of languages in the Northwest Semitic language group, including, but not limited to:; The language of the Arameans from the tenth century BC: often called Old Aramaic.
- 2 A subfamily of languages in the Northwest Semitic language group, including, but not limited to:; The language of the administration in the Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian empires from the seventh to fourth centuries BC: often called Imperial Aramaic or Official Aramaic.
- 3 A subfamily of languages in the Northwest Semitic language group, including, but not limited to:; The language of portions of the Hebrew Bible, mainly the books of Ezra and Daniel: often called Biblical Aramaic.
- 4 A subfamily of languages in the Northwest Semitic language group, including, but not limited to:; The language of Jesus of Nazareth: a form of Jewish Palestinian Aramaic or Galilean Aramaic.
- 5 A subfamily of languages in the Northwest Semitic language group, including, but not limited to:; The language of Jewish targums, Midrash and the Talmuds, Jewish Babylonian Aramaic.
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 A subfamily of languages in the Northwest Semitic language group, including, but not limited to:; The liturgical language of various Christian churches: often called Syriac.
- 7 A subfamily of languages in the Northwest Semitic language group, including, but not limited to:; The liturgical language of the Mandaeans: usually called Mandaic.
- 8 A subfamily of languages in the Northwest Semitic language group, including, but not limited to:; Any language of this family today called Neo-Aramaic, and separated by religion also Judeo-Aramaic and Syriac
Example
More examples"These texts were written in Hebrew, not in Aramaic."
Etymology
From Latin Aramaicus, from Ancient Greek Ἀραμαϊκός (Aramaïkós), itself a calque of Aramaic ܐܪܡܝܐ / אָרָמָיָא (ʾārāmāyā, “Aramean”) using Ἀράμ f (Arám, “Aram”, the name of a land originally covering central regions of what is now Syria) (from Aramaic ܐܪܡ / ארם (ʾarām)) + -ικός (-ikós, adjective suffix) (compare with Ἀραμαῖος (Aramaîos, “Aramean”), and the latter with Χαναναῖος (Khananaîos, “Chananean”), from Χαναάν f (Khanaán, “Canaan”) + -αῖος (-aîos)). By surface analysis, Aram + -ic.
Related phrases
More for "aramaic"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.