Ligurians

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Refers to an ancient people who lived in the region now known as Liguria in northwestern Italy, known for their distinct cultural and linguistic identity in pre-Roman times
2. Denotes the inhabitants of Liguria, an area on the Italian Riviera, recognized for their historical roots and unique local customs
3. Identifies members of a historical group from the coastal and mountainous areas of northwest Italy, noted for their early settlements and influence before Roman expansion

Etymology: The plural "Ligurians" is simply the plural of "Ligurian," which names a person from Liguria, the region on the northwest coast of Italy around Genoa. "Ligurian" is formed from "Liguria" plus the suffix "-an," an ending meaning "of or belonging to" that English borrowed through Old French from Latin "-ānus." The same suffix appears in words like "Italian" and "American," so the pattern is ordinary rather than exceptional. The region's name is older than the English word by a long way. The people called Ligurians were known to the Greeks and Romans, and the name passed into Latin as "Liguria," which is the source of the modern place name. English gained the adjective and noun through the normal route of learned formation from that place name, so the word is a transparent derivation rather than a survival of ancient vocabulary.

Synonyms: Ligurians