Adrian

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈeɪ.dɹiː.É™n/

Origin

From Latin Hadrianus ("from the Roman harbor Hadria") a place name ultimately from Etruscan hatria. See Adria.

Full definition of Adrian

Proper noun

1. .
• Shakespeare Tempest|II: Scene 1:Which, of he or Adrian, for a good wager, first begins to crow?
• 1874 Bertha de Jongh, The Sisters Lawless, by the author of Rosa Noel, page 245:"My only worth will be in always remembering to do the thing that pleases you; and yet, although I don't really like Adie, it has a more home-like, more whisperable sound than Adrian. Adrian is a grand, heroic sort of a name, yet what a beautiful name it is.
• 1912 Saki, :His baptismal register spoke of him pessimistically as John Henry, but he had left that behind with the other maladies of infancy, and his friends knew him under the front-name of Adrian.
2. A city in Georgia, USA.
3. A city in Michigan.
4. A city in Minnesota.
5. A city in Missouri.
6. A hamlet in New York.
7. A city in Oregon.
8. A city in Texas.
9. A town in Wisconsin.

Usage notes

Made famous by the Roman emperor Hadrian and early saints. Rare as a given name among English-speakers until the second half of the 20th century.

Related terms

• pet form: Adie
• female given names: Adriana, Adrienne

Adjective

1. Relating to the Adriatic Sea.Adrian billows

Anagrams

• Darian
• radian