Home UK English Mingrelian

Meaning of Mingrelian in English:

Mingrelian

(also Mengrelian)

Pronunciation /mɪŋˈɡreɪlɪən/ /mɪnˈɡrɛlɪən/

noun

  • 1A native or inhabitant of Mingrelia; specifically a speaker of the Mingrelian language.

  • 2The South Caucasian language of the Mingrelian people.

    During the Soviet period the language, which until recently had no written form, was regarded as a dialect of Georgian.

adjective

  • Of or relating to Mingrelia, its people, or their language.

Origin

Early 17th century; earliest use found in Samuel Purchas (bap. 1577, d. 1626), geographical editor and compiler and Church of England clergyman. From post-classical Latin Mengrelia, name of an area of the (north-)western Transcaucasus and Black Sea coast around Zugdidi, incorporated within, but often misleadingly equated with, the ancient kingdom of Colchis (now an area of Georgia; Russian Mingrelija (also in form Megrelija), Georgian Samegrelo, Mingrelian Samargalo) + -an. Compare Russian mingrel, mingrelec (nouns) person from Mingrelia, mingrel′skij (adjective) Mingrelian; also in forms megrel, megrelec, nouns and megrel′skij, adjective.