Mediterranean

[ med-i-tuh-rey-nee-uhn ]

noun

1. Mediterranean Sea.
2. a person whose physical characteristics are considered typical of the peoples native to or inhabiting the Mediterranean area.
3. the, Informal. the islands and countries of the Mediterranean Sea collectively.

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

/ ˌmɛdɪtəˈreɪnɪən /

noun

1. See Mediterranean Sea
   short for the Mediterranean Sea
2. a native or inhabitant of a Mediterranean country

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 Words From

• non-Med·i·ter·rane·an noun adjective
• trans-Med·i·ter·rane·an adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mediterranean¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mediterranean¹

C16: from Latin mediterrāneus, from medius middle + -terrāneus, from terra land, earth

Example Sentences

“We’re now beginning to see even vessels that had entered the Mediterranean hang a U-turn,” Lars Jensen, the CEO of Denmark-based SeaIntelligence Consulting, told The Washington Post.

From Washington Post

The plant is indigenous to the Mediterranean and is part of the same botanical family as carrots and parsley.

From Washington Post

History’s most celebrated imperial infrastructure remains the sprawling ancient network of Roman roads that bound the far corners of the Mediterranean into a unified empire.

From Washington Post

Drink this and imagine yourself at a trattoria in Palermo or some small coastal town, breathing in the aromas of the Mediterranean and the wild herbs and scruff of the hillsides.

From Washington Post

He traveled south to the ancient city of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, in the Camargue region on the Mediterranean.

From Washington Post

The city served as a crossroads for African, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern cultures.

From The Daily Beast

“We cannot allow the Mediterranean to become a vast cemetery,” he said.

From The Daily Beast

Europe no longer wants to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean.

From The Daily Beast

Without a dedicated and proactive rescue force, campaigners fear, the death toll in the Mediterranean will skyrocket.

From The Daily Beast

Libyans are by and large charming, charismatic, humorous people with a Mediterranean joie de vivre.

From The Daily Beast

The countries about the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea and its adjoining waters.

From Project Gutenberg

The view from the sea-side may be somewhat better, but not much—not comparable to that of Genoa from the Mediterranean.

From Project Gutenberg

Africa has one such, though it is north of the centre, and extends to the shores of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.

From Project Gutenberg

In Europe it extended to the Alpine region, but failed to reach the countries bordering on the Mediterranean.

From Project Gutenberg

And then he went off into a long description of the great Temple of Fortune on the shores of the Mediterranean.

From Project Gutenberg