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Glite Dictionary
🏺 Of ancient Meroe 🗣️ Ancient language 📜 Ancient writing
Meroitic

Meroitic

1 9.9
A language from the ancient kingdom of Meroë known from inscriptions
  • noun
  • /mɛˈroʊɪtɪk/
  • Specialized
: idioma meroítico
  • Though the Meroitic kingdom disintegrated by the end of the fourth century A.D., leaving behind an undeciphered script, small Christian kingdoms in the region survived until about 1500.

Examples

  • Scholars are working to decipher the Meroitic texts found in archaeological sites.

  • The Meroitic language was used for inscriptions on monuments throughout the ancient kingdom.

  • Meroitic contains features that distinguish it from other ancient languages spoken in the region.

Surface Forms

Meroitic singular
Meroitics plural

Morphology

Meroitic = Meroë (transparent) = Meroe + itic

The language name is transparently formed from the place name plus the adjectival suffix '-itic', making the relation clear for learners.

Etymology

Meroitic as the name of the language also comes from the city Meroë, so it means 'the language of Meroë' and refers to the speech used in that kingdom from about 300 BCE to 400 CE.