Moravian

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A follower of the Moravian Church, a Protestant denomination originating in Central Europe ; a native or resident of Moravia ; of or pertaining to Moravia, its inhabitants, or their culture
2. An adherent of the evangelical Christian church established by Moravian reformers ; a person from the historical region of Moravia ; belonging to or characteristic of Moravia or its people
3. Someone who belongs to the Moravian Church, known for missionary work ; anyone from Moravia ; connected with the Moravian region, its traditions, or its inhabitants

Etymology: Moravian is a place-name adjective built on Moravia, the historical region of the Czech Republic. The Latin name "Moravia" comes from the Morava River, which flows through the region, and the Morava's own name is of uncertain origin. English took the adjective through Medieval Latin "Moravia" with the Latin suffix "-ianus", a form meaning "belonging to" that formed many English place-name adjectives such as Lutheran and Elizabethan. The suffix has a long ancestry. Its Latin form descends from earlier "-iānus", which was built on "-ius" and "-ia" endings, and it passed into English through Old French "-ien" and Middle English "-an". Those are the pieces that give the word its shape: a river-based name, a Latin adjectival ending, and a French-English path that smoothed the final syllables into the familiar form we use today.