Iberian

American  

[ahy-beer-ee-uhn] / aɪˈbɪər i ən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Iberia in SW Europe, its inhabitants, or their language.

2. of or relating to ancient Iberia in the Caucasus or its inhabitants.

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noun

1. one of the ancient inhabitants of Iberia in Europe, from whom the Basques are supposed to be descended.

2. the language of the ancient Iberians of SW Europe, not known to be related to any other language.

3. one of the ancient inhabitants of Iberia in Asia.

Iberian British  

/ aɪˈbɪərɪən /

noun

1. a member of a group of ancient Caucasoid peoples who inhabited the Iberian Peninsula in preclassical and classical times See also Celtiberian

2. a native or inhabitant of the Iberian Peninsula; a Spaniard or Portuguese

3. a native or inhabitant of ancient Iberia in the Caucasus

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adjective

1. denoting, or relating to the pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula or of Caucasian Iberia

2. of or relating to the Iberian Peninsula, its inhabitants, or any of their languages

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• trans-Iberian
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Iberian

First recorded in 1595–1605; Iberi(a) + -an

Example Sentences

By the time the sun dipped on the horizon and we made our way back to Llerena, it felt like the only thing we didn’t see was an Iberian lynx.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026

Now, thanks to a two-decade conservation initiative across southern Spain and parts of Portugal, there are an estimated 2,700 Iberian lynx in the wild, making it one of the world’s most miraculous comeback stories.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026

"The earlier group resembles Stone Age farming populations from northern France and Germany, while the later group shows strong genetic links to southern France and the Iberian Peninsula."

From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2026

The mitochondrial DNA from the Stajnia individuals belongs to the same genetic branch found in Neanderthals from the Iberian Peninsula, south-eastern France, and the northern Caucasus.

From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2026

From there, Islam spread through North Africa along the Mediterranean, across to the Iberian Peninsula, and over to France.

From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson