Italian

[ ih-tal-yuh n ]

/ ɪˈtæl yən /

adjective

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

noun

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

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

Origin of Italian

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

Related forms

I·tal·ian·esque, adjectivean·ti-I·tal·ian, adjective, nounhalf-I·tal·ian, adjectivenon-I·tal·ian, adjective, noun

pro-I·tal·ian, adjective, nounpseu·do-I·tal·ian, adjective, noun

Pronunciation note

The pronunciation of Italian with an initial

[ahy] /aɪ/ sound (pronounced like the word eye ) and often with level stress on the first and second syllables:

[ahy-tal-yuh n] /ˈaɪˈtæl yən/ is heard primarily from uneducated speakers. This pronunciation is sometimes facetious or disparaging in purpose and is usually considered offensive.

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

Examples from the Web for italian

The Italian foreign ministry has declined to comment on the video.
Jihadis Release New Year’s Eve Video of Italian Female Hostages|Jamie Dettmer, Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The Italian navy tweeted regular updates of the saved-to-stranded passenger ratio.
‘We’re Going to Die’: Survivors Recount Greek Ferry Fire Horror|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I learned that he was working and living in the Lower East Side, delivering orders for an Italian restaurant and raising two kids.
Cuban Hip-Hop Was Born in Alamar|Daniel Levin|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The bookstore was opened as a way of presenting Italian books and culture to Manhattanites.
The Bookstore That Bewitched Mick Jagger, John Lennon, and Greta Garbo|Felice Picano|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Because the shop was emblematic of that peculiar Italian institution known as La Faccia: i.e. presenting the best face possible.
The Bookstore That Bewitched Mick Jagger, John Lennon, and Greta Garbo|Felice Picano|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No officer of the Italian government was to enter the Lateran or Vatican palaces upon any official mission.
An Introduction to the History of Western Europe|James Harvey Robinson
The Camaldolites grew out of an Italian reform movement independent of Clugny though no doubt related to it.
The Rise of the Mediaeval Church|Alexander Clarence Flick
I heard of the parrots a year or two later as giving lessons in Italian to an English maid.
Essays on Life, Art and Science|Samuel Butler
Had he been an Italian bird, Ovid would have had a plaintive tale to tell about him.
My Garden Acquaintance|James Russell Lowell
This unpretentious spot of Italian soil was to prove the cradle of the revolutioniser of Italy's national music-drama.
Verdi: Man and Musician|Frederick James Crowest

British Dictionary definitions for italian

Italian

/ (ɪˈtæljən) /

noun

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

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

See Italian vermouth

adjective

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

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