canaanite Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a member of an ancient Semitic people who occupied Canaan before it was conquered by the Israelites
  2. noun the extinct language of the Semitic people who occupied Canaan before the Israelite conquest

WordNet

Ca"naan*ite noun
Definitions
  1. A descendant of Canaan, the son of Ham, and grandson of Noah.
  2. A Native or inbabitant of the land of Canaan, esp. a member of any of the tribes who inhabited Canaan at the time of the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.
Ca"naan*ite noun
Etymology
From an Aramaic word signifying "zeal."
Definitions
  1. A zealot. "Simon the Canaanite." Matt. x. 4. ✍ This was the "Simon called Zelotes" (Luke vi. 15), i.e., Simon the zealot. Kitto.

Webster 1913