Sabeans
/səˈbiːənz/noun
The Sabeans were an ancient Arabian people associated with the kingdom of Saba in what is now Yemen.
Did you know?The Sabeans controlled major frankincense and myrrh routes, commodities burned in temples and ritual spaces across the ancient Mediterranean and Near East.
Etymological Timeline
1st millennium BCE
Sabaean Arabic
Sabaʾ
“The name of the ancient South Arabian kingdom centered in present-day Yemen.”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
שְׁבָא (Šəvā)
“Sheba, a wealthy distant kingdom mentioned in connection with trade, gold, spices, and the Queen of Sheba.”
Classical Antiquity
Greek
Σαβαῖοι (Sabaîoi)
“The Sabaeans, a people of southern Arabia.”
Classical Latin
Latin
Sabaei
“The Sabaeans, known in Roman writings as Arabian traders associated with aromatics and incense.”
16th Century
English
Sabean
“Relating to Saba or its people.”
Modern English
English
Sabeans
“The plural name for the ancient people of Saba.”