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Erpenius, Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Erpenius, Thomas ûrpēˈnēəs [key], 1584–1624, Dutch Orientalist, whose name in Dutch was Van Erpe. Erpenius was one of the most celebrated scholars of his day and wrote several grammars of Middl...

Melchites

(Encyclopedia)Melchites or Melkites both: mĕlˈkīts [key], members of a Christian community in the Levant and the Americas, mainly Arabic-speaking and numbering about 250,000. They are in communion with the pope ...

Hawran

(Encyclopedia)Hawran or Hauran houränˈ [key] [Heb.,=hollow or cavernous land], region, SW Syria. It is a largely treeless area marked by conical volcanic peaks, barren lava fields, and rich lava soil. In the nort...

Ebal, Mount

(Encyclopedia)Ebal, Mount ēˈbəl [key], Arabic Jabal Aybal, 3,084 ft (940 m) high, in the Samarian hills, West Bank. On Ebal, according to the Bible, the curses due for the violations of God's commands were deliv...

Himyaritic

(Encyclopedia)Himyaritic hĭmˌyərĭtˈĭk [key], another name for Old South Arabian. See Arabic languages; Afroasiatic languages. ...

Paul of Aegina

(Encyclopedia)Paul of Aegina ējīˈnə [key], 7th cent.?, Greek physician. His only extant work is a medical history in seven books; it was translated into English, with a commentary by Francis Adams (3 vol., 1844...

Dunash ben Labrat

(Encyclopedia)Dunash ben Labrat do͞oˈnäsh bĕn läˈbrät [key], 920–90, Hebrew grammarian and poet, b. Fès. He was also called Rabbi Adonim Halevy (ha-Levi). He wrote an exhaustive criticism of Menahem's Heb...

Firuzabad

(Encyclopedia)Firuzabad fĭro͞oˈzəbädˌ [key], town, Fars prov., S Iran, near Shiraz. The town has a noteworthy ...

Kayes

(Encyclopedia)Kayes kāz [key], town (1993 est. pop. 50,000), W Mali, a port on the Senegal River. It is the administrative and commercial center for a region where peanuts and gum arabic are produced. The town has...

Afroasiatic languages

(Encyclopedia)Afroasiatic languages hămˈĭtō-səmĭtˈĭk [key], family of languages spoken by more than 250 million people in N Africa; much of the Sahara; parts of E, central, and W Africa; and W Asia (especia...