Macedonian
/masəˈdəʊniən
/noun
1A native or inhabitant of the republic of Macedonia.The modern Macedonian state is formed from one of communist Yugoslavia's six constituent republics where the Macedonians were recognized as a distinct people....
- In many schools in Perth there is a mix of Italians, Greeks, Macedonians, and those of British and Irish descent.
- The Macedonians drive like the Italians.
1.1A native of ancient Macedonia.The Persian and Egyptian temples and palaces were a tempting invitation to Alexander's Macedonians and the later Romans, Mamluks, Arabs and Turks, which the subject populace did not too eagerly defend....
- Isocrates urged the Macedonian to use his power for the good of the Hellenic world as a whole.
- Its accomplishments so far eclipsed anything that had ever been done, Alexander and his Macedonians entered into legend.
1.2A native or inhabitant of Macedonia in modern Greece.I myself am a Macedonian, and another two and a half million Greeks are Macedonians....
- I was born in Greek Macedonia, specifically in the city of Edessa, and so I identify myself as follows: an Edessian, a Macedonian, a Greek, a Balkan, and a European.
- When two Greeks discuss about their origins, they say “I am a Cretan” or “I am a Macedonian”.
2 [mass noun] The Southern Slavic language of the republic of Macedonia and adjacent parts of Bulgaria.The Macedonian Peoples Republic (with Macedonian as the official language) was established in 1944....
- Since 1997 the Bulgarian government has acknowledged Macedonian as a separate language.
- Like most Slavonic languages, Macedonian is written in the Cyrillic alphabet.
2.1The language of ancient Macedonia, probably a dialect of Greek.Entering the lecture hall, Maridakis asked a question in Greek, to be sharply told that speaking in Macedonian was not welcome....
- For instance, during his argument with Clitus, which led to his good friend's death, at the end Alexander is said to have called for his guards in Macedonian when he felt his life threatened.
adjective
Relating to Macedonia or Macedonian.The Aitolians, whose power had been steadily rising since their triumph over the Gauls at Delphi in 279, were an obvious threat to Macedonian hegemony....
- The Macedonian phalanx was Philip's creation, extended by Alexander.
- In ancient Greece the tendency towards greater professionalism reached its climax with the Macedonian army of Alexander the Great.
