Sino-Tibetan

[ sahy-noh-ti-bet-n, sin-oh- ]
/ ˌsaɪ noʊ tɪˈbɛt n, ˌsɪn oʊ- /

noun

a family of languages including especially Burmese, Tibetan, and the various local languages and dialects whose speakers share literary Chinese as their standard language.

Origin of Sino-Tibetan

First recorded in 1915–20; Sino- + Tibetan

British Dictionary definitions for sino-tibetan

Sino-Tibetan
/ (ˈsaɪnəʊ-) /

noun

a family of languages that includes most of the languages of China, as well as Tibetan, Burmese, and possibly Thai. Their most noticeable phonological characteristic is the phonemic use of tones

adjective

belonging or relating to this family of languages