Cilician

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. Of or belonging to Cilicia, an ancient region on the southern coast of what is now Turkey
2. Pertaining to Cilicia, a territory in antiquity located in southern Anatolia known for its cities and trade
3. Related to Cilicia, the historical region in Asia Minor that was home to various civilizations and peoples

Etymology: Cilician is a formal adjective derived from Cilicia, the ancient region in the southeastern corner of Asia Minor, now part of modern Turkey, bordering the Mediterranean and the Taurus Mountains. The name of the region came first, and the adjective was built on it by adding a suffix. The ending "-an" traces back a long way. It descends from an ancient Indo-European suffix that formed adjectives meaning "belonging to" or "of the nature of," and it passed through Italic and Latin, where "-anus" was added to place names to indicate origin or affiliation, as in "Romanus" from Roma. From Latin it entered Old French as "-ain," and then English took it in during the Middle English period as "-an." English has since attached it to countless place names, so that "Cilician" follows the same pattern as "Roman," "American," or "Victorian." The word is therefore a straightforward example of a place name plus suffix, with the suffix carrying the meaning "of or from" that place.