Nephite
1
9.9
A person from the people described in the Book of Mormon
- proper noun
- Literature
:
nefitas
- The Nephite scriptures describe a long history of their people's journey in the Americas.
- Nephite god
Examples
-
In a symbolic, religious gesture, the Mormon missionaries journeyed twenty-two days, like the Nephite king, Limhi.
Academic text (2000) -
In the Book of Mormon, the Nephite people are portrayed as a civilization facing many challenges.
-
Many members of the church study the teachings of the Nephite prophets to gain spiritual insights.
Surface Forms
Nephite main
Morphology
Nephite = Nephi (semi-transparent) = Nephi + ite
Formally Nephi + the productive English suffix '-ite' is clear; the noun sense 'member of the Nephites' follows the usual -ite pattern but requires knowledge of 'Nephi'.
Etymology
Nephite is formed from the name Nephi and the ending -ite, meaning 'member of' or 'from', just like Israelite. So a Nephite is a person who belongs to the people of Nephi in the Book of Mormon.