Mediterranean

American  

[med-i-tuh-rey-nee-uhn] / ˌmɛd ɪ təˈreɪ ni ən /

noun

1. Mediterranean Sea.

2. a person whose physical characteristics are considered typical of the peoples native to or inhabiting the Mediterranean area.

3. Informal. the, the islands and countries of the Mediterranean Sea collectively.

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adjective

1. pertaining to, situated on or near, or dwelling about the Mediterranean Sea.

2. pertaining to or characteristic of the peoples native to the lands along or near the Mediterranean Sea.

3. surrounded or nearly surrounded by land.

Mediterranean British  

/ ˌmɛdɪtəˈreɪnɪən /

noun

1. short for the Mediterranean Sea

2. a native or inhabitant of a Mediterranean country

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adjective

1. of, relating to, situated or dwelling on or near the Mediterranean Sea

2. denoting a postulated subdivision of the Caucasoid race, characterized by slender build and dark complexion

3. meteorol (of a climate) characterized by hot summers and relatively warm winters when most of the annual rainfall occurs

4. obsolete (often not capital) situated in the middle of a landmass; inland

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• trans-Mediterranean
  adjective
• non-Mediterranean
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Mediterranean

1585–95; < Latin mediterrāne ( us ) midland, inland ( see medium, terra, -an, -eous) + -an

Example Sentences

THE MEDITERRANEAN, your ideal blue sea: to Greeks simply "the sea," to Hebrews "the great sea," to Romans mare nostrum.*

From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Walter, F. P.

MEDITERRANEAN, its shores the first abodes of commerce, 3 and 4,  20.--

From An Inquiry into the Permanent Causes of the Decline and Fall of Powerful and Wealthy Nations. Designed To Shew How The Prosperity Of The British Empire May Be Prolonged by Playfair, William