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• Lydian
  Lydian

  adjective

  of or relating to Lydia.
• lydian
  lydian

  adjective

  of or relating to ancient Lydia, its inhabitants, or their language

Lydian

American  

[lid-ee-uhn] / ˈlɪd i ən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Lydia.

2. (of music) softly or sensuously sweet; voluptuous.

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noun

1. an inhabitant of Lydia.

2. an Anatolian language of Lydia, written in a modified Greek alphabet.

lydian British  

/ ˈlɪdɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to ancient Lydia, its inhabitants, or their language

2. music of or relating to an authentic mode represented by the ascending natural diatonic scale from F to F See also Hypo- Compare Hypolydian

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noun

1. an inhabitant of Lydia

2. the extinct language of the Lydians, thought to belong to the Anatolian group or family

Etymology

Origin of Lydian

First recorded in 1535–45; Lydi(a) + -an

Example Sentences

The kingdoms of the Medes and Lydian had waged a brutal war for years.

From New York Times • Apr. 6, 2024

Let the Lydian mode proclaim not the past but the future.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2020

And earlier this year, Van Hinsbergen published a study in Science Advances with Lydian Boschman, a graduate student, that identified several slabs that may have played a role in the birth of the Pacific Ocean.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 22, 2016

Carian and Lydian are both extinct languages from western Anatolia.

From BBC • May 30, 2012

So all Lydian modes have the same key signature as the major key a perfect fourth below them.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones