Kushite
/ˈkʊʃ.aɪt/noun
A person from the ancient kingdom of Kush, or relating to its culture and civilization.
Did you know?Kushite rulers established Egypt’s Twenty-Fifth Dynasty, making them the only historically documented sub-Saharan African dynasty to rule ancient Egypt.
Etymological Timeline
2nd millennium BCE
Egyptian
kꜣš
“The Egyptian name for Kush, the southern region beyond Egypt, centered in Nubia.”
1st millennium BCE
Hebrew
כּוּשׁ (Kûš)
“Cush, a biblical name for a land and people south of Egypt.”
3rd–2nd Century BCE
Greek
Χους (Chous)
“The Greek transliteration of Cush in the Septuagint and related traditions.”
1st Century BCE–1st Century CE
Latin
Aethiopia / Chus
“Classical writers used Aethiopia broadly for lands south of Egypt, while biblical Latin retained Chus for Cush.”
19th Century
English
Kushite
“A scholarly English formation from Kush plus the ethnic suffix -ite, meaning a person or thing associated with Kush.”
Modern English
English
Kushite
“Relating to the ancient Nubian kingdom of Kush or its inhabitants.”