Italian

[ ih-tal-yuh n ]
/ ɪˈtæl yən /

adjective

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

noun

a native or inhabitant of Italy, or a person of Italian descent.
a Romance language, the language of Italy, official also in Switzerland. Abbreviation: It, It., Ital.

Origin of Italian

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-yuh n] /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

Example sentences from the Web for italian

British Dictionary definitions for italian

Italian
/ (ɪˈtæljən) /

noun

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

adjective

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