Canaanite

noun

Ca·​naan·​ite ˈkā-nə-ˌnīt How to pronounce Canaanite (audio)
: a member of a Semitic people inhabiting ancient Palestine and Phoenicia from about 3000 b.c.
Canaanite adjective

Examples of Canaanite in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Its hundreds of storage jars, called Canaanite amphorae, spilled into heaps on the seafloor. Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 June 2024 Sample vessels from the cargo were positively identified as coming from the Late Bronze Age Canaanite period, according to the IAA. Jns Staff Report, Sun Sentinel, 20 June 2024 Archaeologists have made a stunning—yet thoroughly puzzling—discovery in northern Israel: a 3,800-year-old Canaanite arch and stairway, perfectly preserved underground. Christopher Parker, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Sep. 2023 Since the Pilgrims landed, religious leaders have been forging archaeological and textual evidence to show that Native Americans were descended from Canaanite and Jewish tribes. Egill Bjarnason, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Canaanite.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Greek Kananitēs, from Kanaan Canaan, from Hebrew Kĕnaʽan

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Canaanite was in 1530

Dictionary Entries Near Canaanite

Cite this Entry

“Canaanite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Canaanite. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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