Edomites

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A historical group descended from Esau, identified in biblical texts as inhabiting the region south of the Dead Sea
2. An ancient people mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, believed to have occupied territory in present-day southern Jordan
3. A tribe or nation in biblical history, known for their conflicts and interactions with the Israelites throughout various scriptures

Etymology: The Edomites were a people living southeast of the Dead Sea, and their name is built from the name of their land, Edom, plus a suffix. The Hebrew Bible names the territory Edom, and "Edomite" simply means "a person of Edom." The plural "Edomites" is the form of that noun for more than one person. The ending "-ite" has a long route into English. It comes from the Greek suffix "-ītēs," which was used to form nouns denoting inhabitants or followers of a place or a person. Greek passed it to Latin as "-ītēs," and Latin adapted it into the form "-ītes," which then reached English through French, where the suffix was "-ite." English took it up as a standard way to name people from a place, as in "Israelite" or "Canaanite."

Synonyms: Edomites, ancient people