Dictionary.com

Ian

[ ee-uhn, ee-ahn, ahy-uhn ]
/ ˈi ən, ˈi ɑn, ˈaɪ ən /
Save This Word!

noun
a male given name, Scottish form of John.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Other definitions for Ian (2 of 2)

-ian

a suffix with the same meaning and properties as -an, though-ian is now the more productive of the two suffixes in recent coinages, especially when the base noun ends in a consonant: Orwellian; Washingtonian.

Origin of -ian

Extracted from Latin loanwords in which -ānus (adjective suffix) is joined to stems ending in i; see -an
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Ian in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Ian

-ian

suffix
a variant of -an Etonian; Johnsonian

Word Origin for -ian

from Latin -iānus
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK