English Reference

Word

libyan

Phoneticslibyan

/ˈɫɪˌbiən/

Definitions

01relating to Libya

B2

adj. related to the country of Libya, its people, or its culture.

adj. pertaining to the nation of Libya, its inhabitants, or its cultural and political institutions.

“The Libyan coast has many beautiful beaches along the Mediterranean Sea.”

“The Libyan diplomatic mission worked closely with international observers to coordinate the distribution of humanitarian aid across the region.”

02a person

B2

n. a person from Libya or someone whose family comes from there.

n. a citizen or inhabitant of Libya, or a person of Libyan descent.

“He is a Libyan who moved to London to study engineering.”

“Several Libyans living abroad formed a cultural association to preserve their traditional music and culinary heritage for the next generation.”

03the language

C1

n. the specific type of Arabic spoken in Libya.

n. the variety of Arabic spoken as a native language in Libya.

“She grew up speaking Libyan at home but learned standard Arabic at school.”

“Linguists often study Libyan to understand how North African dialects have evolved differently from those in the Levant.”

Technical

Synonyms

Libyan Arabic

Etymology

From Libya + -an. English since the 16th century.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/libyan

English Reference