Italian

/əˈtæljən/

/ɪˈtæljən/

Other forms: Italians; Italianly

Definitions of Italian

1. adjective

   of or pertaining to or characteristic of Italy or its people or culture or language
   “Italian cooking”
2. noun

   a native or inhabitant of Italy
   types:

   Etruscan

   a native or inhabitant of ancient Etruria; the Etruscans influenced the Romans (who had suppressed them by about 200 BC)

   Neopolitan

   a resident of Naples

   Roman

   a resident of modern Rome

   Sabine

   a member of an ancient Oscan-speaking people of the central Apennines north of Rome who were conquered and assimilated into the Roman state in 290 BC

   Venetian

   a resident of Venice

   Sicilian

   a resident of Sicily

   Tuscan

   a resident of Tuscany

   Oscan

   an Oscan-speaking member of an ancient people of Campania

   Samnite

   an Oscan-speaking member of an ancient people of Campania who clashed repeatedly with the early Romans

   Florentine

   a native or resident of Florence, Italy

   Genoese

   a native or resident of Genoa

   Milanese

   a native or inhabitant of Milan

   Neapolitan

   a native or inhabitant of Naples

   Sardinian

   a native or inhabitant of Sardinia

   mafioso

   a member of the Sicilian Mafia

   type of:

   European

   a native or inhabitant of Europe
3. noun

   the Romance language spoken in Italy
   types:

   Old Italian

   the Italian language up to the middle of the 16th century

   Sardinian

   the Italian dialect spoken in Sardinia; sometimes considered a separate language with many loan words from Spanish

   Tuscan

   a dialect of Italian spoken in Tuscany (especially Florence)

   type of:

   Latinian language, Romance, Romance language

   the group of languages derived from Latin