Lankan

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. Relating to Sri Lanka, the island nation south of India, or its people and culture ; a native or citizen of that island nation
2. Connected with the island country of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean ; a person born in or holding citizenship of Sri Lanka
3. Having to do with Sri Lanka and its culture ; an individual from the island nation of Sri Lanka

Etymology: Long before it described a people, "Lanka" was the name of a legendary island in the Sanskrit epic "Ramayana," where the demon king Ravana ruled from a golden city. The name is far older than any English usage. It was used for the real island south of India, which the Sanskrit and Pali texts of the region knew by this name. Its exact meaning is uncertain, and it is not clearly related to any other known word. "Lankan" is simply that place name with the suffix "-an," which English attaches to place names to mean a native of or a person connected with that place, as in "Iranian" or "Australian." The suffix comes from Latin "-anus," and it was added to "Lanka" to give a word for people and things from the island. Its exact date of first use in English is not something I can confirm.