Posted by Jeff (207.73.69.111) on January 04, 2002 at 12:44:19:
Taken from ENCARTA:
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Assyrian
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As·syr·i·an [ sírree n ] (plural As·syr·i·ans) noun
1. LANGUAGE Akkadian dialect: the Akkadian language, particularly in the form that is recorded in cuneiform tablets from Assyria
2. PEOPLES somebody from Assyria: somebody who lived in Assyria
As·syr·i·an adjective
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Chaldean
Chal·de·an [kal dn ] (plural Chal·de·ans) or Chal·dae·an [kal dn ] (plural Chal·daeans) noun
1. PEOPLES member of ancient Semitic people: a member of an ancient Semitic people who lived in Chaldea in southern Babylonia, where they were the dominant ethnic group during the 8th and 7th centuries BC. Also called Chaldee
2. LANGUAGE Aramaic dialect: a dialect of the modern Aramaic language, spoken in Iraq and by communities now settled in the United States
3. soothsayer: an astrologer, fortune-teller, or enchanter (archaic)
[Late 16th century. Formed from Latin Chaldaeus , from, ultimately, Assyrian kald .]
Chal·da·ic [kal dáy ik ] noun adjective
Chal·de·an [kal dn ] adjective
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Syriac
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Syr·i·ac [sírree àk ] noun
ancient Syrian language: a form of Aramaic used in the 3rd to 13th centuries that survives in some Eastern Orthodox churches
Syr·i·ac adjective
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Aramaic
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Ar·a·ma·ic [àrr máy ik ] noun
Semitic language: a major language of the ancient Near East, dating from about 300 BC and still spoken in parts of Syria, Iraq, Iran, and other countries. It belongs to the Semitic group of languages and is spoken by between 50,000 and 100,000 people.
[Mid-19th century. Formed from Greek Aramaios "of Aram" (the biblical name for ancient Syria).]
Ar·a·ma·ic adjective