— Canaanitish /kay"neuh nuy'tish/ , Canaanitic /kay'neuh nit"ik/ , adj.
/kay"neuh nuyt'/ , n.
1. a member of a Semitic people that inhabited parts of ancient Palestine and were conquered by the Israelites and largely absorbed by them.
2. a group of Semitic languages, including Hebrew and Phoenician, spoken chiefly in ancient Palestine and Syria.
adj.
3. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Canaan, the Canaanites, or the Canaanite group of languages.
[ 1350-1400; ME Kananítes; see CANAAN, -ITE 1 ]