Oscan

American  

[os-kuhn] / ˈɒs kən /

noun

1. one of an ancient people of south-central Italy.

2. the Indo-European, probably Italic, language of the Oscans, written in an alphabet derived from the Etruscan.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Oscans or their language.

Oscan British  

/ ˈɒskən /

noun

1. an extinct language of ancient S Italy belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European family See also Osco-Umbrian

2. a speaker of this language; Samnite

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adjective

1. of or relating to this language

Other Word Forms

• non-Oscan
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Oscan

1590–1600; Latin Osc(ī) the Oscans + -an

Example Sentences

This town either changed its name or perished some time after the middle of the 3rd century B.C., when it was issuing coins of its own with an Oscan legend.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 2 "French Literature" to "Frost, William" by Various

While this early literature embodied Oscan and Etruscan as well as Latin elements, it was truly Roman; for the Roman was himself formed of just such a mixture.

From Writings in the United Amateur, 1915-1922 by Lovecraft, H. P. (Howard Phillips)

All this is recorded, and with it their song in barbarous Oscan or early Etruscan, perfectly unintelligible, in which their acclamations were made.

From The Catholic World; Volume I, Issues 1-6 A Monthly Eclectic Magazine by Rameur, E.

The Oscan dialect was preserved even when they were introduced at Rome.

From A Smaller History of Rome by Smith, William, Sir

The Italic Class consists of the dead languages Oscan, Latin, and Umbrian, together called Lingua Vulgaris, or Langue d'oc and Langue d'oil, and the living languages of Portugal, Spain, Provençe, France, and Italy.

From Lectures on The Science of Language by Müller, Max