Hebrew

The word “Hebrew” means a member of the ancient Semitic people descended from the biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In plain terms, refers to the ancient people, their modern-day language, or things connected to Jewish history and culture.

“Hebrew” is pronounced HEEB-roo (/ˈhiːbɹuː/ in IPA).

Here is “Hebrew” used in a sentence: “The Hebrews eventually settled in Canaan, according to the Bible.”

Depending on how it is used, “Hebrew” can be a noun, a name and an adjective.

The word “Hebrew” comes from Hebrew. Traced through Greek and Aramaic back to the Hebrew word ʿiḇrī, likely meaning "one from the other side" (of the river), referring to the ancestors' migration.

“Hebrew” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Hebrew” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a member of the ancient Semitic people descended from the biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Hebrew refers chiefly to the ancient Semitic people and to their language, while Jewish describes the religion, culture, and people of Judaism. The terms are not interchangeable: one is primarily a language and an ancient people, the other a religion and ethnic identity.

Hebrew is an ancient Semitic language and the official language of Israel, whereas Yiddish is a language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews that developed from High German with Hebrew and Slavic influences. They are distinct languages with different origins, though both are written in the Hebrew alphabet.

Yes, Hebrew is written and read from right to left, the opposite direction to English. This is one of the notable features of the Hebrew alphabet.

Modern Hebrew is the form of the language spoken today as the official language of Israel, adapted for everyday use. Biblical or Classical Hebrew is the older form found in ancient religious texts, and it differs from the modern language in vocabulary and grammar.