a descendant of Ephraim; member of the tribe of Ephraim
Ephraimite in American English
(ˈifriəˌmait, ˈifrəmɪt)
noun
1.
a member of the tribe of Ephraim
2.
an inhabitant of the northern kingdom of Israel
adjective
3. Also: Ephraimitic (ˈifriəˈmɪtɪk, ˌifrəˈmɪt-)
of or pertaining to the tribe of Ephraim or the Ephraimites
Word origin
[1605–15; ephraim + -ite1]This word is first recorded in the period 1605–15. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: displacement, independent, inverse, pivot, series-ite is a suffix of nouns denoting esp. persons associated with a place, tribe, leader,doctrine, system, etc. (Campbellite; Israelite; laborite); minerals and fossils (ammonite; anthracite); explosives (cordite; dynamite); chemical compounds, esp. salts of acids whose names end in -ous (phosphite; sulfite); pharmaceutical and commercial products (vulcanite); a member or component of a part of the body (somite)