Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Language: Old French
Origin: Latin -ita, -ites, from Greek -ites

-ite

 suffix
     
-ite
1 [in nouns] a follower or supporter of a particular idea or person - often used in order to show disapproval:
a group of Trotskyites (=followers of Trotsky's political ideas)
the Pre-Raphaelites
2 [in adjectives] relating to a particular set of religious or political ideas, or with the ideas of a particular person:
his Reaganite opinions
3 someone who lives in a particular place or belongs to a particular group:
a Brooklynite (=someone from Brooklyn)
the Israelites (=in the Bible)
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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