assyrian
|as-sy-ri-an|
🇺🇸
/əˈsɪriən/
🇬🇧
/əˈsɪəriən/
of or from Assyria; the Assyrian people or language
Etymology
'Assyrian' originates from Akkadian, specifically the name 'Aššur' (the city and national god of Assyria), where 'Aššur' referred to the city/god of Assur.
'Assyrian' developed from the Akkadian 'Aššur' into Greek as 'Assyrios' and Latin as 'Assyrianus', later passing into Medieval and Modern English as 'Assyrian'.
Initially it referred specifically to the people or things of the city/god Aššur and the Assyrian empire; over time it came to denote the broader Assyrian empire and its culture, and in modern usage also denotes the contemporary ethnic group and their languages.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a member of the ancient Assyrian civilization of Mesopotamia (historic people of the Assyrian Empire).
Archaeologists uncovered several Assyrian statues at the site.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a member of the modern Assyrian ethnoreligious community (an ethnic group originating in parts of Iraq, Syria, Iran, and Turkey).
Many Assyrians live in the Nineveh Plains in northern Iraq.
Synonyms
Noun 3
the Assyrian language — commonly used to refer to modern Neo-Aramaic varieties spoken by Assyrian people (often called Assyrian Neo-Aramaic).
She learned Assyrian to speak with her grandparents.
Synonyms
Adjective 1
relating to Assyria, its people, culture, language, or the ancient Assyrian empire.
The museum has an exhibit of Assyrian reliefs and inscriptions.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/03 17:04