Hittite

noun

Hit·​tite ˈhi-ˌtīt How to pronounce Hittite (audio)
1
: a member of a conquering people in Asia Minor and Syria with an empire in the second millennium b.c.
2
: the extinct Indo-European language of the Hittites see Indo-European Languages Table
Hittite adjective

Examples of Hittite in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Recall the biblical story of King David and his soldier Uriah the Hittite. Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Aug. 2024 Until the foundation of Turkey, there had been only two Anatolian states that controlled most of the peninsula: the first was the Hittite Empire in the second millennium BC, and the second was the Turkish Seljuk sultanate from the eleventh to the thirteenth century. Halil Karaveli, Foreign Affairs, 2 Mar. 2016 Severe multi-year drought coincident with Hittite collapse around 1198–1196 BC University of Gothenburg. Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 10 May 2024 Researchers believe the text documents a foreign religious ritual of interest to Hittite scribes. ZAMBIA Two 476,000-year-old logs uncovered in a riverbed near Kalambo Falls, along with several wood tools, may be the oldest example to date of early humans using wood to build. Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023 Nathan the Prophet was sent by Yahweh to reprimand King David for the rape of Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah the Hittite, and yet Nathan ultimately consolidates David’s reign. Simon Webster, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2023 An imposing castle in the city of Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey, which sits on a site that can be traced back to the ancient Hittite empire, has been left in ruins by Monday's devastating earthquake. Aina J. Khan, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2023 Its four floors are filled with jewelry, sculptures, sarcophagi and other objects, including the Hittite treaty tablet, in handsome exhibition spaces surrounding an airy and brightly lit 50-foot atrium. Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Feb. 2022 Along with Egypt and Babylonia, the Hittite Empire was one of the major powers of the eastern Mediterranean and Near East during the late Bronze Age. Humberto Basilio, Discover Magazine, 8 May 2023

Word History

Etymology

Hebrew Ḥittī, from Hittite ḫatti

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Hittite was in 1608

Dictionary Entries Near Hittite

Cite this Entry

“Hittite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Hittite. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on Hittite

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!