"member of the Areopagus court," late 14c. (Acts xvii.34); see Areopagus + -ite (1). Related: Areopagitic; Areopagitical.
Entries linking to areopagite
Areopagus
1640s, Greek, Areios pagos "the hill of Ares," west of the Acropolis in Athens, where the highest judicial court sat. The second element is from pagos "pinnacle, cliff, rocky hill," related to pegnunai "to fasten, coagulate" (from PIE root *pag- "to fasten"). The sense was extended to any important tribunal.
-ite 1
word-forming element indicating origin or derivation from, from French -ite and directly from Latin -ita, from Greek -ites (fem. -itis), word-forming element making adjectives and nouns meaning "connected with or belonging to." Especially used in classical times to form ethnic and local designations (for example in Septuagint translations of Hebrew names in -i) and for names of gems and minerals.