Sumerian

[ soo-meer-ee-uhn, -mer- ]

/ suˈmɪər i ən, -ˈmɛr- /

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adjective

of or relating to Sumer, its people, or their language.

noun

a native or inhabitant of Sumer.

a language of unknown affinities that was the language of the Sumerians and had, in the late 4th and 3rd millenniums b.c., a well-developed literature that is preserved in pictographic and cuneiform writing and represents the world's oldest extant written documents.

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Origin of Sumerian

First recorded in 1870–75; Sumer + -ian

OTHER WORDS FROM Sumerian

pre-Su·me·ri·an, adjective, noun

Words nearby Sumerian

Sumatran, Sumatran elephant, Sumba, Sumbawa, Sumer, Sumerian, Sumerology, Sumgait, sumi, sumi-e, summa

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Sumerian in a sentence

This further alludes to how the expanding Sumerian realms in southern Mesopotamia were not only beginning to incorporate neighboring lands but also proximate cultures.
Who Were The Ancient Sumerians? History of the ‘First’ Mesopotamians|Dattatreya Mandal|September 15, 2022|Realm of History
More than 4,000-year-old Sumerian carvings show people using long straws to drink from communal vessels.
Gold and silver tubes in a Russian museum are the oldest known drinking straws|Bruce Bower|January 19, 2022|Science News
Bringing together the Sumerian tablet and more than 70 other artifacts, the exhibit demonstrates how math has been a universal language across cultures and throughout time.
Take an online journey through the history of math|Erin Wayman|January 18, 2022|Science News
The name Easter may, or may not, be derived from the Sumerian goddess Inanna, or Ishtar—the source of the Hebrew name Esther.
Meet Krampus, the Seriously Bad Santa|Jay Michaelson|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In Sumerian culture, beer is referenced on the earliest recovered tablet.
5 Pioneering Ways to Cook with Beer|Stacey Slate|February 2, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The name Eve is derived from a Sumerian pun on the word for rib.
The Truth About Genesis|Bruce Feiler|September 18, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Indeed the Indian legend appears to throw light on the original Sumerian conception of Ea.
Myths of Babylonia and Assyria|Donald A. Mackenzie
A distinctive and characteristic Sumerian god was Ea, who was supreme at the ancient sea-deserted port of Eridu.
Myths of Babylonia and Assyria|Donald A. Mackenzie
A Central Asiatic source for Sumerian culture has also been urged of late with much circumstantial detail.
Myths of Babylonia and Assyria|Donald A. Mackenzie
Some light may be thrown on the Sumerian problem by giving consideration to the present-day racial complexion of Western Asia.
Myths of Babylonia and Assyria|Donald A. Mackenzie
In the early stages of Sumerian culture, the gods and goddesses who formed groups were indistinguishable from demons.
Myths of Babylonia and Assyria|Donald A. Mackenzie

British Dictionary definitions for Sumerian

Sumerian

/ (suːˈmɪərɪən, -ˈmɛər-) /

noun

a member of a people who established a civilization in Sumer during the 4th millennium bc

the extinct language of this people, of no known relationship to any other language

adjective

of or relating to ancient Sumer, its inhabitants, or their language or civilization

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