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Amu

The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia

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The ancient Egyptian designation for the Semites, frequently quoted in popular literature. The correct form in Hebrew letters would be for the singular, according to the Coptic ame, nearly equivalent to 'ami (plural, 'a'mêu?). The etymology seems to be Egyptian; the original word meaning "bearers of the throwing-stick," from the common weapon of the Bedouin, rather than from the Semitic 'am(m)= "nation." The word, met with in the inscription of "Una" (sixth dynasty), while usually employed to designate the Semites, is also applied to other Asiatic and European nations of the Caucasian type. (For the history of the word, see W. M. Müller, "Asien und Europa," pp. 121, 351.)