Hit"tite (?), n. [From Heb.
Khittim Hittites.]
A member of an ancient people (or
perhaps group of peoples) whose settlements extended from Armenia
westward into Asia Minor and southward into Palestine. They are known
to have been met along the Orontes as early as 1500 BC, and
were often at war with the Egyptians and Assyrians. Especially in the
north they developed a considerable civilization, of which numerous
monuments and inscriptions are extant. Authorities are not agreed as
to their race. While several attempts have been made to decipher the
Hittite characters, little progress has yet been made.
© Webster 1913.