I. ˈaməˌrīt, usu -īd.+V noun
( -s )
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: Hebrew ĕmōrī + English -ite
1. in the Bible
a. : a member of a pre-Israelite people of Palestine that dwelt in the hill country of Canaan and also east of the Jordan between the Moabites and the Ammonites — distinguished from Canaanite
b. : any pre-Israelite inhabitant of Palestine : canaanite
2.
a. : a member of an ancient Semitic people that settled in Mesopotamia, Syria, and Palestine as early as the 3d millennium B.C. and established a kingdom, with its capital at Mari on the middle Euphrates, which was at the height of its power approximately from 2200 to 1700 B.C.
b. : the Semitic language spoken by this people, known only from proper names in Akkadian texts
3. : canaanite I 3
II. adjective
Usage: usually capitalized
: of or belonging to any of the peoples known as Amorites