Amorrite
/ˈæm.ə.raɪt/noun
A member of the ancient Amorite people, who inhabited parts of Syria and Mesopotamia and later Canaan.
Did you know?The Amorites were associated with Amurru, a powerful western region and deity in Mesopotamian religion, linking their name to one of the ancient Near East’s major sacred landscapes.
Etymological Timeline
2nd Millennium BCE
Akkadian
Amurrū
“The Amorites or the western lands and peoples known to Mesopotamian scribes.”
2nd Millennium BCE
Sumerian/Akkadian
MAR.TU / Amurru
“A designation for westerners or Amorites; Amurru also became the name of a regional deity.”
1st Millennium BCE
Biblical Hebrew
אֱמֹרִי (ʾĔmōrī)
“An Amorite, one of the ancient peoples of Canaan.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Amorraîos
“Amorite, a rendering of the biblical ethnonym.”
Late Antiquity
Latin
Amorrhaeus
“Amorite, especially in biblical and Christian historical writing.”
Modern English
English
Amorite / Amorrite
“A member of the ancient Amorite people; Amorrite is a rare variant spelling of Amorite.”