Italian

[ ih-tal-yuhn ]

adjective
  1. of or relating to Italy, its people, or their language.

noun
  1. a native or inhabitant of Italy, or a person of Italian descent.

  2. a Romance language, the language of Italy, official also in Switzerland. Abbreviation: It, It., Ital.

Origin of Italian

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word Italiānus.See Italy, -an

pronunciation note For Italian

The pronunciation of Italian with an initial [ahy] /aɪ/ sound (pronounced like the word eye ) and often with level stress on the first and second syllables: [ahy-tal-yuhn] /ˈaɪˈtæl yən/ is heard primarily from uneducated speakers. This pronunciation is sometimes facetious or disparaging in purpose and is usually considered offensive.

Other words from Italian

  • I·tal·ian·esque, adjective
  • an·ti-I·tal·ian, adjective, noun
  • half-I·tal·ian, adjective
  • non-I·tal·ian, adjective, noun
  • pro-I·tal·ian, adjective, noun
  • pseu·do-I·tal·ian, adjective, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for Italian

Italian

/ (ɪˈtæljən) /


noun
  1. the official language of Italy and one of the official languages of Switzerland: the native language of approximately 60 million people. It belongs to the Romance group of the Indo-European family, and there is a considerable diversity of dialects

  2. a native, citizen, or inhabitant of Italy, or a descendant of one

adjective
  1. relating to, denoting, or characteristic of Italy, its inhabitants, or their language

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