Ian

¹ American  

[ee-uhn, ee-ahn, ahy-uhn] / ˈi ən, ˈi ɑn, ˈaɪ ən /

noun

1. a male given name, Scottish form of John.

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-ian ² American  

1. a suffix with the same meaning and properties as -an, though -ian is now the more productive of the two suffixes in recent coinages, especially when the base noun ends in a consonant: Orwellian; Washingtonian .

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-ian British  

suffix

1. a variant of -an

   Etonian

   Johnsonian

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Etymology

Origin of -ian

Extracted from Latin loanwords in which -ānus (adjective suffix) is joined to stems ending in i; -an

Example Sentences

Fellow resident Ian Martin, 66, moved to the site in 2018.

From BBC

Dr Ian Smith, a senior lecturer of economics at the University of the West of England who specialises in urban regeneration, said while students may be delighted in taking up said jobs, there was "sometimes an issue" with the quality of the jobs created at venues.

From BBC

Ian Drewery, 69, was travelling back to London from visiting his son in Swindon in September 2025 when he suddenly collapsed.

From BBC

On a return visit to thank all those involved, Ian said: "I was in the right place at the right time, to be surrounded by the right people."

From BBC

She recalled that she told Ian: "I do not let you go. I was saying, 'You are going to make it, you will be here with me.'"

From BBC