Georgian

How to spell georgian

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce georgian

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does georgian mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to the era of the British kings George I to George IV, especially its elegant architecture and design.

Georgian in a sentence

• The terrace was lined with elegant georgian townhouses dating from the eighteenth century.

• Collectors prize georgian silverware for its restrained, symmetrical design.

Where does georgian come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word is built on the personal name George combined with the Latin-derived suffix -ian, which forms adjectives and nouns meaning 'belonging to' or 'relating to'. The name George itself comes from the Greek georgos, literally 'farmer' or 'tiller of the earth', a compound of ge meaning 'earth' and ergon meaning 'work'. The same ergon root sits inside everyday science words such as 'energy' and 'ergonomic'. In British usage the term became attached to the era of the four kings named George who reigned from 1714 to 1830, lending its name to a refined style of architecture and furniture. Quite separately, the word also describes the Caucasus nation of Georgia and the American state of the same name, so the spelling carries several unrelated meanings while keeping the soft opening 'g' that trips writers expecting a hard one.

How the word is built

• George (personal name, from Greek georgos: farmer)
• -ian (adjective/noun suffix meaning 'relating to')