Mayan

American  

[mah-yuhn] / ˈmɑ yən /

adjective

1. of or relating to the Maya, their culture, or their languages.

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noun

1. a member of the Mayan tribe.

2. a group of languages spoken by the Mayas in southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize, including Yucatec, Quiché, and Huastec.

Mayan British  

/ ˈmaɪən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Maya or any of their languages

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noun

1. a family of Central American Indian languages, including Maya, possibly a member of the Penutian phylum

2. another name for a Maya 2

Other Word Forms

• pseudo-Mayan adjective

Etymology

Origin of Mayan

First recorded in 1885–90; May(a) + -an

Example Sentences

Once-common literary references to Shakespeare or Dickens have now become as obscure in the common culture as so many Mayan inscriptions.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

Until recently, Mayan script was indecipherable; Mr. Stuart is among the few who helped to unlock it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Lacking clear written or archaeological evidence, however, we are left to speculate as to why the Mayan story ended as it did.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Plan Kukulkan, named after the serpent deity of the Mayan civilization, covers the host cities as well as nearby tourist destinations.

From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026

Perhaps science was stillborn in Indian, Mayan and Aztec civilizations for the same reason it declined in Ionia, the pervasiveness of the slave economy.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan