Smyrian

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. Relating to or originating from the city of Smyrna on the western coast of Anatolia, now known as İzmir in Turkey ; a person born or living in that ancient port city
2. Belonging to or characteristic of the historic Aegean port of Smyrna in present-day Turkey ; someone who comes from or resides in that city
3. Pertaining to the Anatolian city of Smyrna, today called İzmir ; a individual who is a native of or lives in that Turkish port

Etymology: The city now called Izmir on Turkey's Aegean coast was known to the Greeks as Smyrna, and "Smyrnian" is simply the adjective for anything from there, formed by adding the Latin-derived suffix "-ian" to that place name. The city's name is older than Greek and its origin is uncertain. Ancient writers offered a legend that the city was founded by an Amazon named Smyrna, but that is a story about the name, not evidence of its source. The adjective has lasted mostly in trade vocabulary. Smyrna was a major port for goods moving between Europe and Asia Minor, and the names of its exports stuck to them. Woven rugs made in the region came to be called "Smyrna rugs," and the Smyrna fig, a variety of common fig, took its name from the same place. "Smyrnian" itself is less common than the place-name adjective "Smyrniot," which is the form most often used for people from the city.