I. noun
or mel·kite ˈmelˌkīt
( -s )
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: Medieval Latin Melchita, from Middle Greek Melchitēs, literally, royalist, from Syriac malkā king + Greek -itēs -ite
1. : a Christian in Egypt and Syria who accepted the decrees of the Council of Chalcedon in A.D. 451 against Nestorians and Monophysites
2. : a Uniat of the Byzantine rite in Egypt, Syria, or Palestine
II. adjective
Usage: usually capitalized
: of or relating to the Melchites