Word
belgian
Phoneticsbel·gian
/ˈbɛɫdʒən/
Definitions
01a person
n. a person who comes from Belgium.
n. a citizen or inhabitant of Belgium, or a person of Belgian descent.
“The famous detective Hercule Poirot is a Belgian, not a Frenchman.”
“The conference brought together several Belgians who were working on international trade policy in Brussels.”
Usage
Always capitalized as it is a proper noun.
02relating to Belgium
adj. coming from or relating to the country of Belgium.
adj. of, from, or pertaining to Belgium, its people, or its culture.
“I really love Belgian chocolate because it is so smooth.”
“The museum features an extensive collection of Belgian surrealist art from the early twentieth century.”
Usage
Always capitalized as it is a proper adjective.
03extinct language
n. a language that some experts think people spoke in parts of Europe a very long time ago.
n. a hypothetical extinct Indo-European language proposed to have been spoken in parts of Gaul before the Roman conquest.
“Some historians study the Belgian language to understand ancient tribes.”
“The theory of a distinct Belgian language remains a subject of debate among historical linguists specializing in pre-Roman Europe.”
Technical · Academic
Teaching tip
This is a highly specialized academic term; most learners will only ever need the demonym and adjective senses.
Etymology
From Belgium + -an.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/belgian