Mediterranean
Americannoun
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a person whose physical characteristics are considered typical of the peoples native to or inhabiting the Mediterranean area.
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Informal. the, the islands and countries of the Mediterranean Sea collectively.
adjective
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pertaining to, situated on or near, or dwelling about the Mediterranean Sea.
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pertaining to or characteristic of the peoples native to the lands along or near the Mediterranean Sea.
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surrounded or nearly surrounded by land.
noun
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short for the Mediterranean Sea
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a native or inhabitant of a Mediterranean country
adjective
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of, relating to, situated or dwelling on or near the Mediterranean Sea
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denoting a postulated subdivision of the Caucasoid race, characterized by slender build and dark complexion
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meteorol (of a climate) characterized by hot summers and relatively warm winters when most of the annual rainfall occurs
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obsolete (often not capital) situated in the middle of a landmass; inland
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of Mediterranean
1585–95; < Latin mediterrāne ( us ) midland, inland ( see medium, terra, -an, -eous) + -an
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Researchers say the size of the shipment indicates that weapons were being transported through well-established commercial systems linking different parts of the Mediterranean.
From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026
Williams snagged a six-bedroom, eight-bedroom Mediterranean mansion north of Miami in 2017 for $5.7 million.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
Fuster is the president of the local tourism association, and his family was one of the first to build a hotel in this Mediterranean city, in the 1950s.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
“Our commerce in the Mediterranean was blockaded; and that of the Atlantic in peril,” Jefferson wrote External link in his message to Congress on Dec. 8, 1801.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
First, western Eurasia has by far the world’s largest zone of Mediterranean climate.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
