Levite

Borrowed from Late Latin Levītēs, Lēvīta, itself borrowed from Ancient Greek Λευῑ́της (Leuī́tēs). By surface analysis, Levi +‎ -ite.

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈliː.vaɪt/

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• Hyphenation: Le‧vite

Levite (plural Levites)

1. A member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi, particularly in its role as a priestly caste.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Judges 17:7:

     And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.

2. (obsolete, humorous) A clergyman.
3. (now historical) A type of loose dress.
   • 1779, Horace Walpole, letter, 15 November:

     A habit-maker […] is gone stark in love with Lady Ossory, on fitting her with the new dress, I think they call it a Levite, and says he never saw so glorious a figure […] .

   • 2003, Aileen Ribeiro, in Robyn Asleson, Notorious Muse, Yale UNiversity Press 2003, p. 109:

     Gainsborough shows her wearing a blue and white striped silk wrapping gown, known as a levite: a clever and subtle choice of costume, vaguely ‘oriental’ in mood, deriving its name from the theatre.

• Aaronite, Aaronid (descendants of Aaron)

Levite (not comparable)

1. Of or related to Levi, the Levites, or their priestly role.

• Aaronid, Aaronite

• Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel)
• (descendants of the patriarch Jacob, later renamed Israel): Asher (Asherite), Benjamin (Benjaminite), Dan (Danite), Gad (Gadite), Issachar (Issacharite), Joseph (Josephite: Ephraim (Ephraimite), Manasseh (Manassite)), Judah (Judahite), Levi (Levite), Naphtali (Naphtalite), Reuben (Reubenite), Simeon (Simeonite), Zebulun (Zebulunite)
• Israel
• Israeli
• Israelite
• Israelitic
• Israelitish
• Jew
• Jewish
• Judah
• Judean

• velite