I. mə̇ˈnōən, (ˈ)mī|n- adjective
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: Latin mino us Cretan, of Minos (from Greek minōios, from Minōs Minos, legendary kind of Crete) + English -an
1. : of or relating to the Bronze Age culture of Crete (3000 B.C.-1100 B.C.) and being in its latest phase virtually identical with Mycenaean — compare aegean , cycladic , eteocretan , helladic
2.
a. : of, relating to, or being the language of ancient Crete
b. : of or relating to inscriptions and documents in the Minoan language or to the hieroglyphic and especially the linear script in which they were written — compare japhetic
II. noun
( -s )
Usage: usually capitalized
1. : a native or inhabitant of ancient Crete
2. : the language of the ancient Cretan civilization — compare eteocretan , mycenaean