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-ian - 2 dictionary results

-ian

 
a suffix with the same meaning and properties as -an; -ian is now the more productive of the two suffixes in recent coinages, esp. when the base noun ends in a consonant: Orwellian; Washingtonian.
Origin:
extracted from L loanwords in which -ānus -an is joined to stems ending in i
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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-ian  
suff.  
  1. Of, relating to, or resembling: Bostonian.
  2. One relating to, belonging to, or resembling: academician.


[Middle English -ien, -ian, from Old French -ien, from Latin -iānus, adj. and n. suff.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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