I. iˈka(a)rēən, (ˈ)ī|k- adjective
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: Latin icari us of Icarus (from Greek ikarios, from Ikaros Icarus, Greek mythological character who flew so high on man-made wings that the sun melted them and sent him to destruction) + English -an
: of, relating to, or characteristic of Icarus:
a. : soaring too high for safety
Icarian flight
b. : inadequate for or incapable of bringing about an ambitious project
Icarian methods
II. adjective
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: French icarien, from Icarie, communistic utopia in Voyage en Icarie (1842), novel by Étienne Cabet died 1857 French political radical (from Icarie Icaria, island in the Aegean sea) + French -en -an
: of, relating to, or constituting a communistic settlement established in the United States during the latter half of the 19th century by a group of French immigrants
the last Icarian utopia … fizzled out in 1895 — Time
III. noun
( -s )
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: French icarien, from icarien, adjective
: a member of an Icarian community