/ səˈmɪtɪk; NAmE / adjective
1.
of or connected with the language group that includes Hebrew and Arabic
2.
of or connected with the people who speak Semitic languages, especially Hebrew and Arabic
••
WORD ORIGIN
from modern Latin Semiticus , via late Latin from Greek Sēm Shem, son of Noah in the Bible, from whom these people were traditionally supposed to be descended.