I. jəˈfed.ik, (ˈ)jā|f- adjective
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: Japheth (Japetus), one of the sons of Noah in the Bible (Gen 5:32 ff.) + English -ic
1. : relating to or derived from Japheth who was a son of Noah — used vaguely as an ethnological epithet for the Caucasians of Europe and some adjacent parts of Asia
2. : of, relating to, or constituting a group of early non-Indo-European languages in Europe and western Asia assumed by some to form one family with the Caucasian languages and including Basque, Etruscan, Minoan, and sometimes Sumerian and Elamite — compare asianic
II. noun
( -s )
Usage: capitalized
1. : the Japhetic languages
2. : a Japhetic language