Italian
[ ih-tal-yuhn ]
/ ɪˈtæl yən /
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adjective
of or relating to Italy, its people, or their language.
noun
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Origin of Italian
how to pronounce Italian
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-yuhn] /ˈaɪˈtæl yən/ is heard primarily from uneducated speakers. This pronunciation is sometimes facetious or disparaging in purpose and is usually considered offensive.
OTHER WORDS FROM Italian
Words nearby Italian
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use Italian in a sentence
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
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