Catalan

How to spell catalan

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce catalan

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does catalan mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to Catalonia, its people, or the Romance language spoken there.
2. nounA native or inhabitant of Catalonia.

Catalan in a sentence

• adjective

  The restaurant menu was printed in both catalan and Spanish.

• noun

  As a proud catalan, he insisted on speaking his regional language at home.

• adjective

  She signed up for a catalan course before her move to Barcelona.

• noun

  Every catalan in the village turned out for the local harvest celebration.

Where does catalan come from?

Language of origin: Spanish

This word derives from the name of Catalonia, the northeastern region of Spain whose own name in Catalan is Catalunya. It reached English through the Medieval Latin form Catalanus and the Spanish and French adjective catalan, all meaning 'of Catalonia'. The exact origin of the regional name itself is genuinely disputed: one long-standing theory links it to the Goths and Alans who settled the area (a supposed 'Goth-Alania'), while others trace it to a local toponym, so scholars do not agree. As a label for the Romance language spoken there, the term has been used in English since at least the seventeenth century. The spelling trap is mild but real: it keeps the single -t- and single -l- of the place name rather than doubling either, and the final syllable is -an, not -on.

How the word is built

• Catal- (from Catalonia/Catalunya, the region)
• -an (suffix meaning 'belonging to' or 'native of')