Moabite
/ˈmoʊ.ə.baɪt/noun
A member of an ancient people who inhabited the kingdom of Moab, east of the Dead Sea.
Did you know?The name Moab is traditionally explained in Genesis as meaning “from the father,” but scholars regard that explanation as a biblical wordplay rather than a certain historical etymology.
Etymological Timeline
Late 2nd–1st Millennium BCE
Moabite
𐤌𐤀𐤁 (MʾB)
“The name of the ancient kingdom and people east of the Dead Sea; its original meaning is uncertain.”
1st Millennium BCE
Biblical Hebrew
מוֹאָב (Mōʾāḇ)
“Moab, the neighboring kingdom and its people in the Hebrew Bible.”
1st Millennium BCE
Biblical Hebrew
מוֹאָבִי (Mōʾāḇī)
“Moabite, meaning a person belonging to Moab.”
4th–5th Century CE
Greek
Μωαβίτης (Mōabitēs)
“A Moabite; the Greek form used in biblical and Christian texts.”
Late Latin
Latin
Moabita
“A Moabite; the Latin biblical ethnonym.”
Middle English
English
Moabite
“A member of the ancient people of Moab.”
Modern English
English
Moabite
“A historical or biblical reference to the people, language, or kingdom of Moab.”