Lucanian

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. Relating to the ancient region of Lucania in southern Italy ; a person born or living in that ancient territory
2. Belonging to or characteristic of Lucania, the historic southern Italian region ; someone who came from or lived in that area of ancient Italy
3. Describing things associated with the ancient southern Italian territory of Lucania ; a man or woman native to that historical region of Italy

Etymology: Lucania was the ancient region of southern Italy whose name, in Latin, was probably linked to the "Lucani" people who lived there. The adjective "Lucanian" is simply that place name with the suffix "-an" attached, the same pattern that gives English words like "Roman" or "Italian" from their place names. It describes anything connected with the region: its people, its language, its landscape, or its artefacts. The word is most often met in historical and archaeological writing. Scholars speak of "Lucanian" pottery, coins and inscriptions when discussing the region's ancient inhabitants and their interactions with Greek colonists and Roman power. It also appears in the phrase "Lucanian ox" and in references to the Lucanian bull, a sign of local identity, though such uses are rarer than the plain geographic sense.