Etymologically
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hebraeus

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Pronunciation

  • Classical: [hɛˈbrae̯.ʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [eˈbrɛː.us][1]

Forms

hebraeus (feminine hebraea, neuter hebraeum); first/second-declension adjective[1] Also written ⟨Hebraeus⟩, ⟨ebraeus⟩ and ⟨Ebraeus⟩.[1][2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἑβραῖος (Hebraîos),[1][3][4] from Biblical Hebrew עִבְרִי (ʿiḇrī, “Hebrew”), probably through Aramaic עִבְרַי (ʿiḇray, “Hebrew”).[1] The name is traditionally derived from the ancestor Eber;[3][5] Köbler and Etymonline also explain it as “one from the other side”, from a noun for the land across the river, which Etymonline thinks may be the Euphrates.[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Statius has the adjective in the Silvae,[6] and Tacitus uses it in the Histories.[4][7][6][3]

Semantic evolution

As a noun, Hebraeī “the Hebrews” is found from Tertullian's Apology on,[4][7][6][3] and Christian writers used the singular for a Hebrew and the feminine Hebraea for a Hebrew woman.[8][9] With lingua it named the Hebrew language: Aldhelm writes of the Hebrew tongue.[2] Orderic Vitalis has a prayer to the God who set Moses over the Hebrews, and Richard of Bury's Philobiblon mentions the sacred books of the Hebrews.[2]

It is the source, through Old French, of English Hebrew,[5] and of Italian ebreo.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 45–96 AD – Statius uses the adjective.[6][3]
  • 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses the adjective in the Histories.[7][6][3]
  • c. 160–220 AD – Tertullian uses Hebraeī for the Hebrews.[4][6][3]
  • 639–709 AD – Aldhelm writes of the Hebrew tongue.[2][3]
  • late Old English – English takes Hebrew from Old French.[5]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Hebrew, Jewish.[10][4][7][6]
  2. (Late Latin, Medieval Latin) Of the Hebrew language;[1][2] Hebraea lingua: Hebrew.[2]

Noun

  1. A Hebrew, a Jew;[8][9] Hebraeī (plural): the Hebrews.[4][7][6]
  2. Hebraea (feminine): a Hebrew woman.[8]
  • English Hebrew

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c d e f Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  5. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  7. ^ a b c d e Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  8. ^ a b c Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  9. ^ a b Bianchi, Rossella; Lelli, Olga (2014), VOLI: Vocabolario di latino, Florence: Le Monnier
  10. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press