Semite

The term "Semitic people", denoting both Arabs and Jews, was used seriously until the 20th century, when it began to be considered part of an ahistoric, outdated view of the world.

In the Bible, the Semitic people are those descended from Shem (or Sem), one of the three sons of Noah (his other sons were Ham and Japheth)

In linguistics, however, "Semitic languages" is an established term for a well-defined concept. See Semitic.