Nigerian

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. A person from Nigeria, a country in West Africa, often characterized by a rich cultural heritage and diverse ethnic backgrounds
2. Relating to Nigeria, its people, culture, or languages that reflect the nation's historical and social fabric
3. Describing anything indicative of Nigeria, such as its traditions, beliefs, and societal norms that shape the identity of its inhabitants

Etymology: Nigerian is a simple formation: the English name Nigeria with the suffix "-n" added to mark a person or thing belonging to that place. The name Nigeria itself was built from "Niger," the great river of West Africa, and the Niger's own name is traced to the Tuareg phrase "n'igherren," meaning something like "river of rivers." The river, in turn, took its Latin-based name "niger," meaning black, which European writers used for the region's dark-skinned peoples, and the English form Niger was applied to the river well before the modern country existed. The country's name came from the river. When the territory was brought under British administration in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, its name was formed from the river's, adding "-ia" in the style of many place names. The adjective Nigerian is therefore a second step removed from the river: a river name, then a country name, then a descriptive form for people and things connected with that country.

Synonyms: Nigerian