icelandic

icelandic — adjective

IPA/aɪsˈlændɪk/
KK[aɪslˈændɪk]IPA/aɪsˈlændɪk/
  • icelandicpositive
  • more icelandiccomparative
  • most icelandicsuperlative

1. relating to the country of Iceland, the people who live there, or their language

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

relating to the country of Iceland, the people who live there, or their language

Example

Madison bought an Icelandic wool sweater from a small shop in Reykjavík.

collocation: Icelandic wool / Icelandic culture / Icelandic food

Élise is taking an Icelandic literature course at university this semester.

collocation: Icelandic literature

Common collocations
  • Icelandic wool
  • Icelandic culture
  • Icelandic language
  • Icelandic food
  • Icelandic people
  • Icelandic music
  • Icelandic literature
  • Icelandic history

Grammar Patterns

Icelandic + noun (e.g. Icelandic culture, Icelandic food)

Usage Note

As a proper adjective, Icelandic is always capitalized in English, even when used informally. It commonly appears before a noun to describe things that come from or belong to Iceland (e.g. Icelandic music, Icelandic weather, Icelandic history).

Common Mistakes

She bought an icelandic sweater.
She bought an Icelandic sweater.
proper adjectives are always capitalized in English.
I love Iceland food.
I love Icelandic food.
use the adjective form Icelandic, not the country name Iceland, before a noun.

icelandic — noun

IPA/aɪsˈlæn.dɪk/
KK[aɪslˈændɪk]IPA/aɪsˈlæn.dɪk/

Word family

  • Iceland
    proper nounA2
  • Icelander
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Nordic is the broadest term, referring to the countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden plus their territories. Scandinavian more narrowly covers Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (and sometimes Iceland, though linguists debate this). Norse is a historical term for the medieval North Germanic people and their language (Old Norse), from which modern Icelandic descends. Use Icelandic when you mean specifically the country, people, or language of modern Iceland. For example: 'Sweden is a Scandinavian country' (not Icelandic), 'the Nordic Council includes Iceland' (broader grouping), and 'Old Norse literature influenced Icelandic sagas' (historical predecessor).

Nordic ↗ScandinavianNorse ↗

Common collocations

Prepositions

  • in Icelandic
  • from Icelandic

Etymology

Old NorseEnglish

The word Icelandic comes from Iceland (the country name) plus the adjective suffix -ic. Iceland itself comes from Old Norse Ísland, meaning 'ice land', because early Norse settlers found the island covered in ice and glaciers. The noun sense of Icelandic developed naturally from the adjective phrase 'the Icelandic language' being shortened over time.