Ian
noun
a male given name, Scottish form of John.
Ian
1 American
[ee-uhn, ee-ahn, ahy-uhn]
/ ˈi ən, ˈi ɑn, ˈaɪ ən /
noun
-ian
2
American
-ian
British
suffix
Etymology
Origin of -ian
Extracted from Latin loanwords in which -ānus (adjective suffix) is joined to stems ending in i; see -an
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He battled Rays reliever Ian Seymour for eight pitches, fouling off a collection of well-placed fastballs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
California hasn’t expressed an interest in joining the lawsuit, as my colleague Ian James has reported.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
The airman, identified, external by the military as Sgt Ian Patterson, a Tactical Air Control Party instructor at Joint Base San Antonio, died in hospital.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
Ian: What sticks out to you about the clip?
From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2026
“Apparently he did a pretty damn good job cleaning up after himself,” said Ian.
From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia
The adjectivally ennobled: the ones whose names sprout "-esque" and "-ian".
From The Guardian ● Jan. 15, 2013
Note.—These verbs have no trace of original umlaut, since their -ian was once -ōjan.
From Anglo-Saxon Grammar and Exercise Book with Inflections, Syntax, Selections for Reading, and Glossary by C. Alphonso (Charles Alphonso) Smith
Distinction is to be made, therefore, only between Classes II and I. Class II contains the verbs with infinitive in -ian not preceded by r.
From Anglo-Saxon Grammar and Exercise Book with Inflections, Syntax, Selections for Reading, and Glossary by C. Alphonso (Charles Alphonso) Smith
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
