Sri Lankan
2
3.3
- noun
- /sri ˈlæŋkən/
- Sri Lankans say that this is clear evidence of God's kindness since Sri Pada is the closest thing to Paradise.
- many Sri Lankans
- Sri Lankan children
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Watch on YouTubeSo I grew up with, you know, I'm Sri Lankan of origin and I grew up with, you know, Indians and Sri Lankans and Chinese, Sikhs and Malay.
- So I grew up with, you know, I'm Sri Lankan of origin and I grew up with, you know, Indians and Sri Lankans and Chinese, Sikhs and Malay.
- You know, they got what, Japanese, Sri Lankan, Some dude said he's Sri Lankan and I'm like mountain climbing, repelling.
Examples
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Among the Sri Lankan journalists I know in exile, there's a subtle transformation underway.
Blog text (18) -
The majority of Sri Lankans are Sinhalas, who are primarily Buddhist and mainly reside in the South and West of the island.
Academic text (2008) -
Despite the war, most Sri Lankans I met during my weeks there seemed kind and mostly happy.
Academic text (2007) -
For many Sri Lankans, peace has become as difficult to believe in as it is for the children to imagine.
Academic text (2006) -
A group of Sri Lankans sat next to us, caught up in the match.
Academic text (2007) -
At least 25 Sri Lankan journalists are known to have fled the country for fear of their lives.
Academic text (2011) -
A young Sri Lankan man in a Land's End jacket handled a crucifix, moving his lips in prayer.
Academic text (2007) -
In this companion piece, an American attorney accepts a challenge from a determined minister to build an orphanage for Sri Lankan girls victimized by civil war and poverty.
Academic text (2007) -
The peace talks that were postponed in April have become practically another myth to many Sri Lankans; by May, the Tigers appeared to be laying the groundwork for renewed combat.
Academic text (2006) -
During my travels, I made friends with many Sri Lankans who shared their culture and stories with me.
Synonyms
2
3.9
A person from Sri Lanka
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a person from Sri Lanka' is directly and compositionally derived from the constituent parts: 'Sri' as part of the country name and 'Lankan' indicating origin/nationality. This demonymic pattern (country name + adjective/noun for inhabitants) is cross-linguistically common and would be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituents.
Etymology
Sri Lankan comes from the country's name Sri and Lanka. Sri is an old respectful word meaning 'honoured' and Lankan means 'from Sri Lanka', so a Sri Lankan is simply a person from that country.