# Melkite

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈmɛlkaɪt/

## Definitions
1. In 5th-century Syria and Egypt, a sobriquet applied to Chalcedonians by their opponents, denoting the Chalcedonians' fidelity to the Byzantine emperor.
2. A member of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch or the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem; ellipsis of Orthodox Melkite.
3. A member of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church; ellipsis of Catholic Melkite.

## Etymology
From Latin Melchita, from Byzantine Greek Μελχίτης (Melkhítēs), from Classical Syriac ܡܠܟܝܐ (malkāyāʾ, “royal; royalist”) + Byzantine Greek -ῑ́της (-ī́tēs). See these for more.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/melkite