I. |medətə|rānēən, -nyən adjective
Etymology: in sense 1, from Latin mediterraneus, from medi- + -terraneus (from terra land); in other senses, from the Mediterranean, large inland sea enclosed by southern Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa — more at terrace
1. : enclosed or nearly enclosed with land
it is a sea nearly as mediterranean as that which lies between Africa and Europe — Waldo Frank
2. usually capitalized
a. : of, relating to, characteristic of, or situated near the Mediterranean sea
b. : of or relating to the peoples or lands about the Mediterranean sea
3. archaic : situated inland
4. usually capitalized : of, relating to, or being the subdivision of the Palaearctic region that includes southern Europe, Persia, Asia Minor, northern Arabia, and Africa north of the Sahara
5. usually capitalized : of, relating to, or being a region with a climate that is marked by mild moist winters and warm to hot dry summers
6. usually capitalized : of or relating to the Mediterranean subrace or physical type of the Caucasian race characterized by medium or short stature, slender build, dolichocephaly, and dark complexion — compare alpine , armenoid , dinaric , nordic
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: in sense 1, from Mediterranean sea; in sense 2, from mediterranean (I)
1. : a landlocked sea
2. usually capitalized : a person having Mediterranean physical characteristics