Mediterranean

Borrowed from Latin mediterrāneus, inland, from medius (“middle”) + terra (“earth, land”) + -āneus (adjectival suffix).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌmɛdɪtəˈɹeɪnɪən/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌmɛdɪtəˈɹeɪnɪən/, [mɛɾəɾəˈɹeɪnɪən], [mɛdɪtəˈɹeɪnjən]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Mediterranean (comparative more Mediterranean, superlative most Mediterranean)

1. Of or pertaining to the Mediterranean Sea and its surrounding region.

the Mediterranean

1. Ellipsis of the Mediterranean Sea: a sea between Europe and Africa, an inland branch of the Atlantic.
2. A region of Southern Europe and North Africa and Western Asia. The region surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.

Mediterranean (countable and uncountable, plural Mediterraneans)

1. (countable) Synonym of Mediterranid.
2. (uncountable) Ellipsis of Mediterranean food, a style of food originating from the (often European or Near Eastern, as opposed to African) lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.