Messapic

[ muh-sey-pik, -sap-ik ]

/ məˈseɪ pɪk, -ˈsæp ɪk /

noun

an Indo-European language that was spoken in what is now SE Italy and written with an alphabet derived from that of Greek.

Also Mes·sa·pi·an

[muh-sey-pee-uh n] /məˈseɪ pi ən/.

Origin of Messapic

1765–75; < Latin Mesāp(ius) pertaining to Messāpia the Calabrian peninsula + -ic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for messapian

The name is said to mean "stag's head" in the Messapian dialect, in allusion to the shape of the harbour.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various

British Dictionary definitions for messapian

Messapian

Messapic (məˈseɪpɪk, -ˈsæpɪk)

/ (məˈseɪpɪən) /

noun

a scantily recorded language of an ancient people of Calabria (the Messapii), thought by some to be related to ancient Illyrian

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