Agarene

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A member of the ancient Arab tribes regarded as descended from Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, in the Old Testament
2. Relating to the Ishmaelite peoples who traced their ancestry through Hagar, the Egyptian servant of Abraham
3. Describing or belonging to the desert tribes said to be descended from Hagar and her son Ishmael in biblical tradition

Etymology: The name goes back to Hagar, the Egyptian servant whom the biblical Abraham took as a concubine and who bore him Ishmael. Medieval writers came to believe that Arabs descended from Hagar and Abraham, and the Latin "Agarenus" was coined to label them that way. Middle English borrowed the Latin form as "Agarene," and it was later spelled "Hagarene" with the initial H restored to match the Hebrew name. The word is simply Hagar with the suffix "-ene" attached, so it means, in effect, "a descendant of Hagar." Its meaning is tied to that genealogical belief rather than to any particular tribe, which is why it has long been used of Arabs and Muslims generally. It is now mainly found in older literature and in historical or religious writing.

Synonyms: Ishmaelite