of or pertaining to Italy, its people, or their language.
noun
2.
a native or inhabitant of Italy, or a person of Italian descent.
3.
a Romance language, the language of Italy, official also in Switzerland.
Abbreviation: It, It., Ital.
Origin
1350-1400;Middle English < Medieval LatinItaliānus. See Italy, -an
Related forms
Italianesque, adjective
anti-Italian, adjective, noun
half-Italian, adjective
non-Italian, adjective, noun
pro-Italian, adjective, noun
pseudo-Italian, adjective, noun
Pronunciation note
The pronunciation of Italian with an initial
[ahy] /aɪ/ (Show IPA) sound (pronounced like the word eye) and often with level stress on the first and second syllables:
[ahy-tal-yuh n] /ˈaɪˈtæl yən/ is heard primarily from uneducated speakers. This pronunciation is sometimes facetious or disparaging in purpose and is usually considered offensive.
British Dictionary definitions for Italian
Italian
/ɪˈtæljən/
noun
1.
the official language of Italy and one of the official languages of Switzerland: the native language of approximately 60 million people. It belongs to the Romance group of the Indo-European family, and there is a considerable diversity of dialects
2.
a native, citizen, or inhabitant of Italy, or a descendant of one