italian

italian — adjective

IPA/ɪˈtæliən/
KK[ˌɪtˈæljən]IPA/ɪˈtæliən/
  • italianpositive
  • more italiancomparative
  • most italiansuperlative

1. connected with the country of Italy, the people who live there, or the language

1.adjectiveA1
Definition

connected with the country of Italy, the people who live there, or the language that they speak

Example

Noor ordered a plate of Italian pasta with tomato sauce for lunch.

collocation: Italian pasta / Italian food

The Italian landscape is famous for its hills and coastline.

collocation: Italian landscape / Italian countryside

Common collocations
  • Italian wine
  • Italian culture
  • Italian design
  • Italian cuisine
  • Italian heritage

Grammar Patterns

Italian + noun

[linking verb] + Italian

Common Mistakes

She bought Italy shoes.
She bought Italian shoes.
'Italy' is the country name; use 'Italian' as the adjective form.
I love italian food.
I love Italian food.
Nationality adjectives are always capitalised in English.

italian — noun

IPA/ɪˈtæl.jən/
KK[ˌɪtˈæljən]IPA/ɪˈtæl.jən/

Word family

  • Italy
    noun (proper noun)A1
  • Italianate
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

While 'Italian' refers specifically to modern Italy and its culture, 'Roman' relates only to the ancient city of Rome or the Roman Empire — a narrower historical scope. 'Italic' is a linguistic term for the ancient language branch that includes Latin, and is rarely used in everyday contexts. 'Mediterranean' covers a much broader region including Greece, Spain, and North Africa, and refers to general lifestyle or climate rather than a specific nationality. For example, you would call pasta 'Italian', not 'Mediterranean', even though Italy is a Mediterranean country.

Roman ↗Italic ↗Mediterranean ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Italian food
  • Italian culture
  • Italian language
  • Italian wine
  • Italian art
  • Italian design

Adverbs

  • distinctly Italian
  • typically Italian
  • purely Italian

Phrases

  • of Italian origin
  • Italian by birth
  • Italian-style

Prepositions

  • from Italy
  • in Italian

Etymology

OscanLatinEnglish

The word 'Italian' comes from Latin 'Italiānus', meaning 'of Italy'. The name 'Italia' originally referred to the southern tip of the Italian peninsula and was gradually extended northward. The ultimate origin may be from Oscan 'Víteliú', meaning 'land of young cattle', reflecting the region's importance for livestock.