canaanite

canaanite — noun

1. a person from an ancient Semitic people that lived in the area later known as Pa

1.nounC2
Definition

a person from an ancient Semitic people that lived in the area later known as Palestine and Phoenicia

Example

The guide said the bronze figure showed a Canaanite carrying grain.

a Canaanite + participle phrase

Our history teacher explained why Canaanites traded with Egyptian ports.

plural Canaanites for the people as a group

Common collocations
  • a Canaanite trader
  • a wealthy Canaanite
  • young Canaanites
  • Canaanites traded with Egypt
Synonyms
  • Phoenician

    a related ancient people from the coastal part of the region; narrower and not interchangeable in every context

  • inhabitant of Canaan

    a descriptive phrase rather than the standard historical label

Grammar Patterns

a Canaanite

wealthy Canaanite

Canaanites traded with ...

Usage Note

Usually appears in history, archaeology, or Bible-related writing, often with references to trade, towns, or religion. In modern English it names the ancient people, not a present-day nationality.

Common Mistakes

The text was written by Canaan.
The text was written by a Canaanite.
Canaan is the place name; Canaanite names a person from that people.
She studies the Canaanite.
She studies the Canaanites.
the singular means one person, while the plural can name the people as a group.

Word family

  • Canaan
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun sense 1, Canaanite names a person from the ancient Semitic peoples who lived in Canaan. Phoenician is related but narrower, often used for the coastal trading communities rather than the whole regional group. Israelite is also different, because it points to the ancient people of Israel and carries its own religious and historical associations. Amorite belongs to another ancient group from the wider Near East, so it may appear in the same textbooks but it is not the same people. In archaeology or Bible history, the choice among these words matters because each names a different historical community.

Phoenician ↗Israelite ↗Amorite

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Canaanite trader
  • Canaanite family
  • Canaanite people
  • Canaanite merchant

Phrases

  • be a Canaanite
  • young Canaanite
  • wealthy Canaanite
  • Canaanites traded with Egypt

Etymology

HebrewGreekLatinEnglish

Canaanite comes from Canaan, the ancient regional name Canaan, together with the ending -ite, which often forms names for peoples or followers in English. The word is now used mainly in history, archaeology, and Bible-related writing for the ancient people of that region.

First known use

1530

1530, in the meaning defined above