ˈhaˌmīt, usu -īd.+V noun
( -s )
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: Ham, son of Noah, eponymous ancestor of the Hamites (Gen 10:6-20) + English -ite
1. : a descendant of Ham, one of the sons of Noah
2.
a. : a member of a group of African peoples including the Berber peoples north of the Sahara, the Tuaregs and Tibbu in the Sudan, possibly the extinct Guanches of the Canaries, the ancient Egyptians and their descendants, and the Galla of east Africa that are mostly Muslims, are highly variable in appearance but mainly Caucasoid, and are believed by many to be late-Paleolithic or post-Paleolithic colonists of western Europe
b. : a native speaker of a Hamitic language — compare copt , ethiopian