Gileadite
/ɡɪˈliːədaɪt/noun
A person from the biblical region of Gilead, east of the Jordan River.
Did you know?In Judges 12, Gileadites identified fleeing Ephraimites by asking them to pronounce “shibboleth,” turning a regional accent into a lethal password.
Etymological Timeline
Iron Age / Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
גִּלְעָד (Gilʿad)
“Gilead, the mountainous region east of the Jordan; the name’s deeper meaning is uncertain, though biblical tradition connects it with a “heap of witness.””
Ancient Hebrew
Hebrew
גִּלְעָדִי (Gilʿadi)
“A Gileadite, or inhabitant of Gilead.”
3rd–2nd Century BCE
Septuagint Greek
Γαλααδίτης (Galaaditēs)
“A Gileadite; the Greek form used in translations of the Hebrew Bible.”
4th Century CE
Latin
Galaadites
“Gileadites, as used in the Latin biblical tradition.”
Middle English
English
Galaadite / Gileadite
“A person belonging to Gilead, chiefly in biblical or learned writing.”
Modern English
English
Gileadite
“A person from Gilead, especially one of the biblical Gileadite people.”
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