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Milesian1

[mi-lee-zhuh n, -shuh n, mahy-]
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noun Irish Legend.
  1. any of the people from Spain who invaded Ireland and defeated the Tuatha Dé Danann, and who were the ancestors of the present Irish people.
  2. (sometimes lowercase) an Irishman.
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adjective
  1. (sometimes lowercase) Irish.
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Origin of Milesian1

1765–75; Milēsi(us) (Latinization of Irish Miled, legendary Spanish king) + -an

Milesian2

[mi-lee-zhuh n, -shuh n, mahy-]
adjective
  1. of or relating to Miletus.
  2. Philosophy. noting or pertaining to a school of philosophers of the late 7th to early 5th centuries b.c., including Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes, which was primarily concerned with the nature of matter and change.
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noun
  1. a native of Miletus.
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Origin of Milesian2

1540–50; < Latin Milēsius inhabitant of Miletus + -an
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for milesian

Historical Examples

  • The robe of fine Milesian texture, was saffron-coloured, with a purple edge.

    Philothea

    Lydia Maria Child

  • You have heard, Menexenus, the oration of Aspasia the Milesian.

  • Alluding to the Milesian tales, some of the earliest romances.

  • At school the young Milesian had been distinguished in the exercise of vaulting.

    The Boy Slaves

    Mayne Reid

  • "No, no, I have a plan," shouted Theopompus the Milesian merchant.

British Dictionary definitions for milesian

Milesian1

adjective
  1. of or relating to Miletus
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noun
  1. an inhabitant of Miletus
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Word Origin

via Latin from Greek Milēsios

Milesian2

adjective
  1. Irish
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noun
  1. an Irishman
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Word Origin

C16: from Milesius, a fictitious king of Spain whose sons were supposed to have conquered Ireland
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