CORINTHIAN


Meaning of CORINTHIAN in English

I. kəˈrin(t)thēən noun

( -s )

Usage: capitalized

Etymology: Latin Corinthiensis

1. : a native or resident of Corinth, Greece

2.

a. : a gay profligate licentious man

b. : a fashionable man-about-town : sportsman

c. : an amateur yachtsman or sailor

II. adjective

Usage: usually capitalized

Etymology: Latin Corinthiensis, adjective & noun, from Corinthus Corinth, city in ancient Greece, from Greek Korinthos

1.

a. : of, relating to, or characteristic of Corinth

b. : of, relating to, or characteristic of Corinthians

2. : of or belonging to the lightest and most ornate of the three Greek orders that is characterized especially by its bell-shaped capital enveloped with acanthuses — see capital illustration

3. : of or belonging to the type of decorative painting on vases practiced in Corinth in the 7th century B.C. and characterized by ornamentation with figures in black and purple and many details rendered by incision (as the engraving of fine lines in the dark silhouette)

4. : elegant and ornate in style or manner, especially in literary style

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.