Etymology

1879, German: Antisemitismus, coined by German political agitator Wilhelm Marr to replace Judenhass, making hatred of the Jews seem rational and sanctioned by scientific knowledge. Similar term antisemitisch (anti-semitic) dates from 1860, by Jewish scholar Moritz Steinschneider. See Wikipedia: Antisemitism:Etymology and Usage

Noun

1. Prejudice, discrimination or hostility directed against Jews.

Usage notes

Though Semitic refers in a broader sense to those who speak Semitic languages (e.g. Arabs or Assyrians), the term anti-semitism has historically referred to prejudice against Jews alone. To avoid the confusion of the misnomer, many scholars on the subject (such as Emil Fackenheim) now favor the unhyphenated antisemitism in order to emphasize that the word should be read as a single unified term, not as a meaningful root word-prefix combination. See Wikipedia: Antisemitism:Etymology and Usage