Italian

[ih-tal-yuh n]

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

Related Words for italian

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

Examples from the Web for italian

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of italian

He was received with joy for the service he had rendered to the Italian people.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
Yet we have just seen that the Greeks of old were too self-contained for their Italian brethren.
The Dramatic Values in Plautus
Wilton Wallace Blancke
Rico could soon speak Italian as if he had always spoken it.
Rico and Wiseli
Johanna Spyri
In any case, it was evident that Italian opera was a precarious enterprise.
Handel
Edward J. Dent
The Corsicans speak Italian, and this would never do for a French schoolboy.
The Boy Life of Napoleon
Eugenie Foa

British Dictionary definitions for italian

Italian

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

Word Origin and History for italian

Italian

early 15c., "native of Italy," from Italian Italiano, from Italia "Italy" (see Italy). As an adjective from 1640s.