Malian

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to Mali, a country in West Africa, its people, culture, or language
2. Pertaining to the nation of Mali, including its inhabitants, traditions, or linguistic characteristics
3. Connected with Mali in terms of geography, demographics, customs, or spoken language

Etymology: Mali is the name of a West African nation, and its name comes from the Mande kingdom of Mali, a medieval empire whose rulers were famed for their wealth. The adjective "Malian" is simple in construction: it is "Mali" with the suffix "-an" added, the same ending that appears in words like "American" or "Iranian." That suffix has a long pedigree. It passed from Latin "-ānus" through Old French "-ain" into Middle English, where "-an" became a productive way of forming adjectives from place names. The suffix's ancestry runs deeper still. Its earliest traceable form lies in Proto-Italic "-ānos," which in turn descends from a Proto-Indo-European element "-nós," a marker of belonging or association. In English, the ending was used for centuries to mean "of or belonging to" a place or people, so "Malian" literally means "of Mali."

Synonyms: malinese