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Glite Dictionary
🏹 An ancient nomad 🏺 Related to Scythians 🗣️ An old language
Scythian

Scythian

9.9
An old language once spoken by people who lived north of the Black Sea
  • noun
  • /ˈsɪθiən/
translation icon : idioma escita
  • Linguists have discovered remnants of the Scythian language in inscriptions across central Asia.

Examples

  • Andromache the Scythian.

    The Old Guard (2020)

  • The ancient texts mention a group of warriors known as the Scythians who roamed the steppes.

  • Historians study artifacts left by the Scythians to understand their nomadic lifestyle.

Synonyms

Scythian language
vsScythian
  • Specialized
9.9

An old Iranian speech used by ancient Scythians in the Eurasian steppes and now extinct

refers to the same tongue but highlights use by nomadic ancient people

Compounds

Scythian lamb
  • Archaic
9.9

A plant from Central Asia that people once thought grew live lambs

Scythian language
  • Specialized
9.9

An old Iranian speech used by ancient Scythians in the Eurasian steppes and now extinct

Surface Forms

Scythian singular
Scythians plural

Morphology

Scythian = Scythia (transparent) = Scythia + an

The language name is a regular derivation using '-an' from the ethnonym/place name; naming languages after peoples/places is a common, transparent pattern (e.g., 'English').

Etymology

Scythian was also used for the people's language and comes from the same old Greek name Skuthēs; like English, the name can mean both a people and their language, so Scythian refers to the old Iranian language those nomads spoke.