Iberian

[ ahy-beer-ee-uhn ]

/ aɪˈbɪər i ən /

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adjective

of or relating to Iberia in SW Europe, its inhabitants, or their language.

of or relating to ancient Iberia in the Caucasus or its inhabitants.

noun

one of the ancient inhabitants of Iberia in Europe, from whom the Basques are supposed to be descended.

the language of the ancient Iberians of SW Europe, not known to be related to any other language.

one of the ancient inhabitants of Iberia in Asia.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of Iberian

First recorded in 1595–1605; Iberi(a) + -an

OTHER WORDS FROM Iberian

trans-I·be·ri·an, adjective

Words nearby Iberian

IBC, IBD, I-beam, I beg your pardon, Iberia, Iberian, Iberian Peninsula, iberis, Ibero-, Ibero-Maurusian, Ibert

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Iberian in a sentence

Burgos and her co-investigators set up camera traps in Sierra de Andújar Natural Park, one of the largest remaining refuges for Iberian lynx.
The curious case of an endangered wildcat and a disappearing fruit tree|April Reese|August 3, 2022|Popular-Science
Take the Iberian pear, a small, heat- and cold-resistant tree found only in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco—a hotspot of plant biodiversity.
The curious case of an endangered wildcat and a disappearing fruit tree|April Reese|August 3, 2022|Popular-Science
Archaeologists in Spain and Portugal sampled bone from 370 skeletons, found at 23 different sites across the Iberian peninsula.
These skeletons might be evidence of the oldest known mercury poisonings|Rahul Rao|November 22, 2021|Popular-Science
For instance, her group now wants to explore how ancient Iberian plants grew in the wild and what they looked like before being modified over the past few thousand years by farming practices.
Finds in a Spanish cave inspire an artistic take on warm-weather Neandertals|Bruce Bower|March 9, 2021|Science News

Neandertals most likely responded to relatively mild Iberian temperatures by wearing few or no clothes, the researchers suspect.
Finds in a Spanish cave inspire an artistic take on warm-weather Neandertals|Bruce Bower|March 9, 2021|Science News
Within two days, he had stolen as many Iberian sculptures, eventually presenting them to Picasso as a gift.
Did Picasso Try to Steal the Mona Lisa?|Nick Mafi|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To his close friends, Picasso did not hide his admiration for the Iberian sculptures.
Did Picasso Try to Steal the Mona Lisa?|Nick Mafi|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But he also remembers what Iberian anti-Americanism looked like up close.
Whit Stillman on the 20th Anniversary of ‘Barcelona’, His New Amazon Series, and the Myth of the Ugly Expat|Michael Weiss|August 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Iberian versus Siberian debate followed the archeological gold trail from Kennewick back to Montana.
Incontrovertible Evidence Proves the First Americans Came From Asia|Doug Peacock|March 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Because of its shape, Hill dubbed it “the egg,” while Milosevic, thinking it resembled Spain, called it “the Iberian Peninsula.”
Richard Holbrooke on the Dayton Peace Accords|Richard Holbrooke|December 15, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The Nordic race is, like the Iberian, long-headed, but in contrast it is blond and very tall.
The Towns of Roman Britain|James Oliver Bevan
It has been thought well to include Portugal in this volume, so as to embrace the entire Iberian Peninsula.
Spanish Life in Town and Country|L. Higgin and Eugne E. Street
The intrigues of the French court were, however, extended to that part of the Iberian peninsula also.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
The year 1846 closed over the Iberian peninsula in discord, turbulence, and woe.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
By the Iberian family—divided into the Aquitains and the Ligures.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 56, Number 348|Various

British Dictionary definitions for Iberian

Iberian

/ (aɪˈbɪərɪən) /

noun

a member of a group of ancient Caucasoid peoples who inhabited the Iberian Peninsula in preclassical and classical timesSee also Celtiberian

a native or inhabitant of the Iberian Peninsula; a Spaniard or Portuguese

a native or inhabitant of ancient Iberia in the Caucasus

adjective

denoting, or relating to the pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula or of Caucasian Iberia

of or relating to the Iberian Peninsula, its inhabitants, or any of their languages

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