Cretan

[kreet-n]

adjective

of or relating to the island of Crete or its inhabitants.

noun

a native or inhabitant of Crete.

Origin of Cretan

< Latin Crētānus. See Crete, -an

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cretan

Historical Examples of cretan

Of the Cretan laws, I shall leave the defence to my Cnosian friend.
Laws
Plato
And our Cretan colony should, and probably will, have a character for virtue, such as few cities have.
Laws
Plato
We were speaking of the syssitia, which will be a natural institution in a Cretan colony.
Laws
Plato
Some of them too are derived from Crete, and are appropriately transferred to a Cretan colony.
Laws
Plato
A connexion with Athens is likewise intimated by the Cretan Cleinias.
Laws
Plato

British Dictionary definitions for cretan

Cretan

adjective

of or relating to Crete or its inhabitants

noun

a native or inhabitant of Crete

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cretan

Cretan

Old English Cretense (plural), from Latin Cretanus (singular); see Crete. They were proverbial in ancient times as liars; cf. Greek kretismos "lying," literally "Cretan behavior."