Phrygian

[ frij-ee-uhn ]

adjective

1. of or relating to Phrygia, its people, or their language.

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Phrygia.
2. an Indo-European language that was the language of Phrygia.

Phrygian

/ ˈfrɪdʒɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to ancient Phrygia, its inhabitants, or their extinct language
2. music of or relating to an authentic mode represented by the natural diatonic scale from E to E See Hypo-
3. music (of a cadence) denoting a progression that leads a piece of music out of the major key and ends on the dominant chord of the relative minor key

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of ancient Phrygia
2. an ancient language of Phrygia, belonging to the Thraco-Phrygian branch of the Indo-European family: recorded in a few inscriptions

Word History and Origins

Origin of Phrygian¹

From the Latin word Phrygiānus, dating back to 1570–80. See Phrygia, -an

Example Sentences

This year’s Olympic mascots are the Phryge and the Paralympic Phryge, small creatures that resemble a Phrygian cap, a slightly drooping, cone-shaped hat typically associated with themes of liberty in European and colonial cultures.

From Salon

The name is based on the traditional small Phrygian hats the Olympic and Paralympic mascots are shaped after.

From BBC

People gathered at the Phrygian Valley in Turkey to watch the Perseid meteor shower.

From Seattle Times

The Phrygian cap is an updated version of a conical hat worn in antiquity in places such as Persia, the Balkans, Thrace, Dacia and Phrygia, a place in modern day Turkey where the name originates.

From Seattle Times

“The Phrygian cap embodies the ability we all have together when we collectively decide to rise up to strive for better,” Paris organizing committee brand director Julie Matikhine said.

From Seattle Times