Parisian

How to spell parisian

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce parisian

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does parisian mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to or characteristic of Paris, the capital of France.
2. nounA person who is a native or resident of Paris.

Parisian in a sentence

• adjective

  The bakery sells parisian pastries every morning.

• noun

  As a lifelong parisian, he knew every shortcut across the city.

• adjective

  She admired the elegant parisian architecture along the avenue.

• noun

  The guide was a born parisian who spoke fondly of her neighbourhood.

Where does parisian come from?

Language of origin: French

This word is built on the name of Paris, the capital of France, with the suffix -ian, which Latin and later English used to mean 'belonging to' or 'native of'. It came into English through the French form Parisien, which describes a person or thing of Paris. The city's own name is far older and reaches back to the Parisii, a Celtic Gaulish tribe who settled on the banks of the Seine long before the Roman period, and the Romans recorded their settlement as Lutetia Parisiorum. Over time the tribal name eclipsed the Roman label, leaving simply Paris. English has used Parisian since at least the sixteenth century, and the steady spelling trap is the single s sound that is written with one s, plus the -ian ending that can be misheard as -ion or -ean.

How the word is built

• Paris (the city)
• -ian (adjective/noun suffix meaning 'belonging to')