Midianite
1
9.9
Relating to the ancient people or culture of Midian
- adjective
- /ˈmɪdiəˌnaɪt/
:
midianita
- The archaeological team discovered pottery and tools that were unmistakably Midianite in origin.
Examples
-
The Midianite language influenced many dialects spoken in the surrounding regions of ancient Arabia.
-
Phinehas was a priest who found one of the most prominent Israelite chiefs having illicit sex with a Midianite princess.
Academic text (2004) -
Historians often study Midianite artifacts to understand the culture and society of ancient Midian.
Surface Forms
Midianite positive
Morphology
Midianite = Midian (transparent) = Midian + ite
Formed by the place-name 'Midian' plus the productive demonym suffix '-ite', meaning 'from or relating to Midian'.
Etymology
Midianite comes from the place name Midian, a region and people mentioned in the Bible, and the ending -ite means 'from' or 'belonging to', just like in Israelite. So Midianite as an adjective describes things that come from or relate to Midian.