anti-Semitism

Meaning

Noun

• Prejudice, discrimination, hostility or political or religious opposition directed against ethnic or religious Jews or against Judaism; antijudaism; judeophobia.
• Prejudice, discrimination or hostility directed against any Semitic people (ancient or modern), such as Samaritans, Palestinians, Arabs or Assyrians.

Related

Similar words

• anti-Semiticism

Opposite words

• philo-Semitism, philosemitism
• pro-Semitism, prosemitism

Origin

• From German Antisemitismus, which was coined in 1879 by German political agitator Wilhelm Marr to replace Judenhaß to make hatred of the Jews seem rational and sanctioned by scientific knowledge. The similar term antisemitisch was first used in 1860, by Jewish scholar Moritz Steinschneider. See Wikipedia's article on the etymology and usage of the term.
• The term is superficially/synchronically equivalent to anti- + Semitism (see Semite), for which reason it is rarely extended to cover prejudice against any Semitic people, or against adherents of any of the religions that originated among the Semitic peoples (the Abrahamic religions). See the usage notes.