Catalan

American  

[kat-l-an, -uhn, kat-l-an] / ˈkæt lˌæn, -ən, ˌkæt lˈæn /

adjective

1. pertaining to Catalonia, its inhabitants, or their language.

---

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Catalonia.

2. a Romance language closely related to Provençal, spoken in Catalonia, Valencia, the Balearic Islands, Andorra, southern France, and western Sardinia.

Catalan British  

/ -lən, ˈkætəˌlæn /

noun

1. a language of Catalonia, quite closely related to Spanish and Provençal, belonging to the Romance group of the Indo-European family

2. a native or inhabitant of Catalonia

---

adjective

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

Etymology

Origin of Catalan

1375–1425; late Middle English < Spanish

Example Sentences

The Catalan regional government had granted her the right to assisted dying in 2024.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Catalan President Salvador Illa Roca said he was shocked by the deaths and expressed his deepest condolences to families and friends.

From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026

Boldúman –a German doughboy with Catalan flair, ridiculous and adorable– is one of Barcelona’s best stories, seldom heard beyond its borders.

From Salon • Feb. 5, 2026

Rodalies services were expected to resume on Thursday but remained suspended as only six of 140 drivers reported for work, said Catalan regional government spokeswoman Silvia Paneque.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

I will have lost two hundred fathoms of good Catalan cardel and the hooks and leaders.

From "The Old Man and The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway