-ian +
(Latin: suffix form of -an from -ianus, a modifier of the main word to which it is attached: belonging to, coming from, being involved in, or being like something)
Appearing in such words as comedian, egalitarian, Bostonian, Italian, Smithsonian, mathematician, Alabamian, Californian, Arizonian, and Canadian. It is attached to the root of common or proper nouns with the meanings "of, pertaining to, from", or "like" the proper name appearing in the stem.
apiarian
Pertaining to bee-hives or bee-keeping.
1. One of a sect of Christians in the primitive church, who used water instead of wine in the Lord's Supper.
3. People who keep an aquarium.
3. A person who is born under Aquarius, the eleventh sign of the zodiac.
3. People who keep an aquarium.
3. A person who is born under Aquarius, the eleventh sign of the zodiac.
attitudinize (at" i TOOD nighz, at" i TYOOD nighz) (verb), attitudinizes; attitudinized; attitudinizing
To present a special behavior in order to impress others: Jim was attitudinizing his audience with stories about how he was able to accomplish more for his company than anyone else.
© ALL rights are reserved.
© ALL rights are reserved.
Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.
authoritarian (adjective), more authoritarian, most authoritarian
1. Characteristic of something that involves strict rules and an established authority: The new principal of the high school has more authoritarian guidelines and regulations which are stricter than those that his predecessor had.
2. Relating to, belonging to, or believing in a political system in which obedience to the ruling person or group is strongly enforced: Some people are quite authoritarian when they maintain dictatorial ways of governing their countries.
3. A reference to someone who favors or maintains strict rules and obedience: Mr. Gregory was a very authoritarian teacher in his history classes because his students were not allowed to use their cell phones in and they were required to concentrate on what he was striving to teach them.
© ALL rights are reserved.
Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
2. Relating to, belonging to, or believing in a political system in which obedience to the ruling person or group is strongly enforced: Some people are quite authoritarian when they maintain dictatorial ways of governing their countries.
3. A reference to someone who favors or maintains strict rules and obedience: Mr. Gregory was a very authoritarian teacher in his history classes because his students were not allowed to use their cell phones in and they were required to concentrate on what he was striving to teach them.
Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.
avian (adjective) (not comparable)
Pertaining to, relating to, or referring to birds: There are many species of avian creatures that exist around the world.
Here is one kind of avian animal that is about to catch a mouse to eat.
barbarian, barbaryn (older spelling)
1. Historically, someone who is not a Greek; then it became a person living outside the boundary of the Roman empire and its civilization; applied especially to the northern nations that overthrew them; followed by anyone who existed outside the realm of Christian civilization.
2. A rude, savage, alien, wild, uncivilized person.
3. An uncultured person, or someone who has no sympathy with literary culture.
4. Applied by nations, generally depreciatively, to foreigners; thus at various times and with various speakers or writers: non-Hellenic, non-Roman (most usual), non-Christian.
5. Uncultivated, uncultured, crude, unsophisticated, uncouth: "The artist accused the public of having barbarian tastes."
6. A foreigner, one whose language and customs differ from the speaker's.
2. A rude, savage, alien, wild, uncivilized person.
3. An uncultured person, or someone who has no sympathy with literary culture.
4. Applied by nations, generally depreciatively, to foreigners; thus at various times and with various speakers or writers: non-Hellenic, non-Roman (most usual), non-Christian.
5. Uncultivated, uncultured, crude, unsophisticated, uncouth: "The artist accused the public of having barbarian tastes."
6. A foreigner, one whose language and customs differ from the speaker's.
From Greek barbaros, "non-Greek, foreign, barbarous," from an Indo-European imitative base barb, "to stammer, stutter; and unintelligible." The Greeks were quoted as saying that foreigners sounded as if they were saying, "Barbar, Barbar," which was, for the Greeks, unintelligible.
Barbarian, from Latin barbarus. It seems to have signified, at first, only a foreign or a foreigner; but, in time, it implied some degree of wildness or cruelty.
batrachian
A descriptive word for a tailless amphibian; for example, a frog or a toad.
biometrician
1. Someone who specializes in the science of biometry, or biometrics, which is the study biostatistics including the calculation of the probable duration of human life.
2. A person who uses statistical techniques to analyze biological data.
2. A person who uses statistical techniques to analyze biological data.
centenarian
Someone who is in his/her hundreds; a person who is one hundred plus years old.
cibarian
Of or pertaining to food.
circadian (adjective), more circadian, most circadian
Descriptive of a physiological activity that occurs approximately every twenty-four hours, or the rhythm of such activity: The doctor told Raymond that his circadian rhythm referred to his cycle of activities; including both his daily functioning (eating, sleeping, etc.) and his body's chemistry (changes in blood pressure, urine production, etc.) all of which usually last for and are repeated about every 24 hours.
clinician
cornucopian (adjective), more cornucopian, most cornucopian
Characterized by being an overflowing source of abundant products: "The Christmas season is a cornucopian time for store sales."
custodian
1. Someone having charge, or who takes care, of buildings, grounds, or animals.
2. A person who has custody; a keeper; a guardian.
2. Anyone entrusted with guarding or maintaining a property; for example, a janitor.
2. A person who has custody; a keeper; a guardian.
2. Anyone entrusted with guarding or maintaining a property; for example, a janitor.
diagnostician
1. A person who diagnoses, especially a physician specializing in medical diagnostics.
2. An expert in making diagnoses; especially, a medical doctor.
3. Someone with special skills in identifying the cause or nature of a problem even in areas other than medical.
2. An expert in making diagnoses; especially, a medical doctor.
3. Someone with special skills in identifying the cause or nature of a problem even in areas other than medical.
