xenial

American  

[zee-nee-uhl, zeen-yuhl] / ˈzi ni əl, ˈzin yəl /

adjective

1. (in ancient Greece) of or relating to the relation between host and guest, especially those from different places of origin.

   In Greek myth, the Cyclops is a monster who shamelessly breaks the sacred xenial laws, and feasts upon men.

2. warm, welcoming, and hospitable.

   Here are five xenial destinations in the world for tourists, based on the ratio of tourists to locals, availability of accommodation, and other factors.

3. Botany. of or relating to the influence of pollen on a structure other than the embryo, as on the seed or fruit.

   Free pollination yielded the highest weight of the berry, revealing strong xenial effects in the studied grape cultivars.

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Etymology

Origin of xenial

First recorded in 1790–1800; from Greek xenía “hospitality” ( xenia ( def. ) ) + -al ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

Someone who's xenial is an extremely generous and hospitable host. If you provide a comfy guest bedroom and a generous breakfast to your guests, you can consider yourself xenial too. Xenial is derived from the Greek xenia, "rights of a guest," and xenos, "guest." In ancient Greece, hospitality was considered politically and morally important. Xenial traditions were enacted between citizens of different Greek city-states, usually involving the exchange of gifts as well as generous hosting of travelers from foreign places.

Example Sentences

The name Fenix is an acronym representing the tournament's core values: friendly; European; non-professional; innovative; and xenial, which comes from the Ancient Greek word xenos, indicating an attitude of hospitality towards strangers.

From BBC • Nov. 7, 2022

Now you run sudo sh ~/Downloads/crouton -t xiwi -u -n xenial, replacing xenial with your chosen chroot name if you have something custom.

From The Verge • Nov. 16, 2017