Italian

American  

[ih-tal-yuhn] / ɪˈtæl yən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Italy, its people, or their language.

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noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Italy, or a person of Italian descent.

2. a Romance language, the language of Italy, official also in Switzerland. It, It., Ital.

Italian British  

/ ɪˈtæljən /

noun

1. the official language of Italy and one of the official languages of Switzerland: the native language of approximately 60 million people. It belongs to the Romance group of the Indo-European family, and there is a considerable diversity of dialects

2. a native, citizen, or inhabitant of Italy, or a descendant of one

3. See Italian vermouth

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adjective

1. relating to, denoting, or characteristic of Italy, its inhabitants, or their language

Pronunciation

The pronunciation of Italian with an initial sound (pronounced like the word eye ) and often with level stress on the first and second syllables: is heard primarily from uneducated speakers. This pronunciation is sometimes facetious or disparaging in purpose and is usually considered offensive.

Other Word Forms

• Italianesque adjective
• anti-Italian adjective
• half-Italian adjective
• non-Italian adjective
• pro-Italian adjective
• pseudo-Italian adjective

Etymology

Origin of Italian

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word Italiānus. See Italy, -an

Compare meaning

How does italian compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Italian vs. English sonnet

Example Sentences

Cursor works out of North Beach, the historic Italian neighborhood with a bohemian flare that is decidedly separate from the AI epicenter in downtown San Francisco.

From The Wall Street Journal

After Maresca said his side were "not ready" to win the Premier League at this point last season - despite fans chanting "We've got our Chelsea back" - the Italian seems more optimistic this time around.

From BBC

I order the Classic Italian with prosciutto, ham, salami and provolone.

From Los Angeles Times

Draghi, a former Italian prime minister, wants European industrial giants to pool investments in strategic sectors such as semiconductors to help the continent regain an edge.

From The Wall Street Journal

Barolo, Barbaresco and Brunello might be the greatest of all Italian red wines, but they can be quite pricey, not to mention forbidding in their youth, requiring years if not decades to soften.

From The Wall Street Journal