Oscan
Americannoun
-
one of an ancient people of south-central Italy.
-
the Indo-European, probably Italic, language of the Oscans, written in an alphabet derived from the Etruscan.
adjective
noun
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an extinct language of ancient S Italy belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European family See also Osco-Umbrian
-
a speaker of this language; Samnite
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Oscan
1590–1600; Latin Osc(ī) the Oscans + -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.
On the mosaic threshold the word HAVE, in Oscan and Latin characters, saluted the guest with its friendly syllables.
From One of Cleopatra's Nights and Other Fantastic Romances One of Cleopatra's Nights?Clarimonde?Arria Marcella?The Mummy's Foot?Omphale: a Rococo Story?King Candaules by Th?ophile Gautier
That the Etruscan, Sabellian, Oscan, Samnite, and other national dances of the country had some influence on the art in Rome is highly probable, but the paucity of early Roman examples renders the evidence difficult.
From The Dance (by An Antiquary) Historic Illustrations of Dancing from 3300 B.C. to 1911 A.D. by Anonymous
Oscan was still spoken under the Roman emperors, and so were minor local dialects in the south and the north.
From Lectures on The Science of Language by Max Müller
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 Max Müller
In addition to collecting Norwegian folk-songs and traditions, and writing on Runic inscriptions, he made considerable contributions to the study of the Celtic, Romance, Oscan, Umbrian and Etruscan languages.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" by Various
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