Iberian

[ ahy-beer-ee-uhn ]

adjective

1. of or relating to Iberia in SW Europe, its inhabitants, or their language.
2. of or relating to ancient Iberia in the Caucasus or its inhabitants.

noun

1. one of the ancient inhabitants of Iberia in Europe, from whom the Basques are supposed to be descended.
2. the language of the ancient Iberians of SW Europe, not known to be related to any other language.
3. one of the ancient inhabitants of Iberia in Asia.

Iberian

/ aɪˈbɪərɪən /

noun

1. a member of a group of ancient Caucasoid peoples who inhabited the Iberian Peninsula in preclassical and classical times See also Celtiberian
2. a native or inhabitant of the Iberian Peninsula; a Spaniard or Portuguese
3. a native or inhabitant of ancient Iberia in the Caucasus

adjective

1. denoting, or relating to the pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula or of Caucasian Iberia
2. of or relating to the Iberian Peninsula, its inhabitants, or any of their languages

Other Words From

• trans-I·beri·an adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Iberian¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; Iberi(a) + -an

Example Sentences

Burgos and her co-investigators set up camera traps in Sierra de Andújar Natural Park, one of the largest remaining refuges for Iberian lynx.

From Popular-Science

Take the Iberian pear, a small, heat- and cold-resistant tree found only in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco—a hotspot of plant biodiversity.

From Popular-Science

Archaeologists in Spain and Portugal sampled bone from 370 skeletons, found at 23 different sites across the Iberian peninsula.

From Popular-Science

For instance, her group now wants to explore how ancient Iberian plants grew in the wild and what they looked like before being modified over the past few thousand years by farming practices.

From Science News

Neandertals most likely responded to relatively mild Iberian temperatures by wearing few or no clothes, the researchers suspect.

From Science News

Within two days, he had stolen as many Iberian sculptures, eventually presenting them to Picasso as a gift.

From The Daily Beast

To his close friends, Picasso did not hide his admiration for the Iberian sculptures.

From The Daily Beast

But he also remembers what Iberian anti-Americanism looked like up close.

From The Daily Beast

The Iberian versus Siberian debate followed the archeological gold trail from Kennewick back to Montana.

From The Daily Beast

Because of its shape, Hill dubbed it “the egg,” while Milosevic, thinking it resembled Spain, called it “the Iberian Peninsula.”

From The Daily Beast

The Nordic race is, like the Iberian, long-headed, but in contrast it is blond and very tall.

From Project Gutenberg

It has been thought well to include Portugal in this volume, so as to embrace the entire Iberian Peninsula.

From Project Gutenberg

The intrigues of the French court were, however, extended to that part of the Iberian peninsula also.

From Project Gutenberg

The year 1846 closed over the Iberian peninsula in discord, turbulence, and woe.

From Project Gutenberg

By the Iberian family—divided into the Aquitains and the Ligures.

From Project Gutenberg