Minoan

//mɪˈnəʊən// adj, name, noun

adj, name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A person who belonged to the Minoan civilization.
  2. 2
    a Cretan who lived in the bronze-age culture of Crete about 3000-1100 BC wordnet
Adjective
  1. 1
    Of or relating to the civilization that developed in Crete from the neolithic period to the Bronze Age (about 3000-1050 B.C.E.). not-comparable
  2. 2
    Of or relating to the writing systems (Linear A and Linear B) used in Crete and later in mainland Greece. not-comparable
  3. 3
    Of or relating to the ancient language of the Minoans which died out by the beginning of the 1st millennium B.C.E. not-comparable
Adjective
  1. 1
    of or relating to or characteristic of the Bronze Age culture of Crete wordnet
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    The language written in Linear A.

Synonyms

All synonyms
eteocretanwriting system

Example

More examples

"The largest island in the Aegean is Crete, and the form of civilization developed there is called Cretan or Minoan, from the name of one of the legendary sea-kings of Crete, whilst that which spread on the mainland is called Mycenaean from the great stronghold where dwelt the lords of Mycenae."

Etymology

Sir Arthur Evans, not knowing the Minoan term for “Minoan” at the time, coined this name in the early 20th century, from Ancient Greek Μίνως (Mínōs), the mythical king of Crete. The actual name is probably reflected in Egyptian kftjw (perhaps reconstructible as *Káftayu) and Biblical Hebrew כַּפְתּוֹר (Kaftor, “Caphthor”).

Related phrases

bronze agelinear bminoan civilization

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.