Amorites
/ˈæm.ə.raɪts/noun
A Semitic-speaking people who established kingdoms in Syria and Mesopotamia during the early second millennium BCE.
Did you know?In Mesopotamian texts, the Amorites were associated with Amurru, both a people and a divine figure connected with the western regions beyond Mesopotamia.
Etymological Timeline
Early 2nd Millennium BCE
Akkadian
Amurrū
“The Amorite people, associated with the western lands from a Mesopotamian perspective.”
Early 2nd Millennium BCE
Sumerian
MAR.TU
“A Sumerian designation for the Amorites, often referring to western or steppe-dwelling peoples.”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
אֱמֹרִי (ʾĔmōrî)
“Amorite; a member of the people called the Emorites in the Hebrew Bible.”
Classical and Late Latin
Latin
Amorrhaei / Amoritae
“The Amorites, transmitted through biblical and classical religious and historical writing.”
Middle English
English
Amorite
“An Amorite, especially a people mentioned in the Old Testament.”
Modern English
English
Amorites
“The plural name for the ancient Amorite people.”