Lancastrian

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the historic county or people of Lancashire in England; associated with the medieval House of Lancaster or its supporters; describing something characteristic of or originating from Lancashire
2. Pertaining to the geographic region of Lancashire or its inhabitants; connected to the lineage or faction of Lancaster during the Wars of the Roses; denoting cultural or historical ties to Lancashire
3. Concerning the northern English county of Lancashire and its population; linked to the dynastic family of Lancaster or the political group loyal to it; indicating attributes or origin from Lancashire territory

Etymology: Lancastrian is a straightforward formation: the place name Lancaster, the historic county town of Lancashire in north-west England, with the suffix "-ian" attached. That suffix descends through Latin "-ianus" and "-iānus" from earlier Italic endings, and English has used it for centuries to mark a person or thing belonging to a place or group. The place name itself carries the older history. Lancaster takes its first element from the River Lune, which flows past the town, and the second element is the Old English "ceaster," meaning a Roman fort or walled town. The Romans built a fort there, so the name records a settlement that was already old when English speakers arrived. The word gained its best-known sense from the royal house of Lancaster. Its members, the House of Lancaster, were descended from the dukes of Lancaster, and the Wars of the Roses between Lancastrian and Yorkist supporters gave the adjective its historical currency. The rose that became their emblem is the red rose, which is still the county's badge today.

Synonyms: Lancashire resident, Lancashire native