Luxembourgian

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. Of or relating to the country of Luxembourg, its inhabitants, or their culture
2. Belonging to or characteristic of Luxembourg, a small European nation and its residents
3. Pertaining to Luxembourg or its people, language, or cultural traditions

Etymology: Luxembourgian is a plain formation: the place name Luxembourg with the suffix "-ian" attached, giving a word meaning "of or relating to Luxembourg" or "a person from Luxembourg." The suffix itself has a long pedigree. It descends through Latin "-iānus" and "-ānus," which were used to form adjectives from place names and personal names, and it reached English through French and Latin routes, which is why it appears in so many nationality terms such as Italian, Parisian and American. The place name is the older and more unusual part of the story. "Luxembourg" is built from the Old French or Romance elements behind the castle that gave the city its name, and the word has been adapted into English in the familiar pattern of adding "-ian" to a country or city name. The result is a word that sounds like it was coined for the purpose, which in a sense it was: it is a regular, transparent derivation rather than an inherited term with a dramatic past.

Synonyms: Luxembourgish