Malazan

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. Of or relating to the Malazan Empire, the fictional imperial power in Steven Erikson's epic fantasy series
2. Describing anything connected with the fictional Malazan Empire and its setting in Steven Erikson's fantasy novels
3. Belonging to or characteristic of the Malazan Empire, the sprawling invented realm found in Steven Erikson's fantasy books

Etymology: Malazan is a coinage from fantasy fiction. It names the Malazan Empire in Steven Erikson and Ian Esslemont's epic fantasy series, the Malazan Book of the Fallen, whose first novel is Gardens of the Moon. The empire takes its name from Malaz, the island at its heart, and the adjective is simply that place name with the suffix "-an" added, as in "Roman" from Rome. Within the series, the empire is a sprawling military power that expands by conquest across a vast continent, and the word has since spread among fans as a shorthand for the whole setting. Readers encounter it first as a name in the books, so its meaning has come almost entirely from the fiction rather than from older usage.