definitions

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.

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RELATED WORDS

insular, Catalan, Continental, French, Latin, Portuguese, Provencal, Spanish

Origin of Italian

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

Related forms

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

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