Minoan
English
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
Minoan
- /mɪˈnəʊən/
Rhymes with -əʊən
Where it comes from
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”).
adjective
- Of or relating to the civilization that developed in Crete from the neolithic period to the Bronze Age (about 3000-1050 B.C.E.).
- Of or relating to the writing systems (Linear A and Linear B) used in Crete and later in mainland Greece.
- Of or relating to the ancient language of the Minoans which died out by the beginning of the 1st millennium B.C.E.
noun Minoans
- A person who belonged to the Minoan civilization.
proper noun
- The language written in Linear A.
Translations
Every language
adj Of or relating to the civilization that developed in Crete from the neolithic period to the Bronze Age
| Español | minoico |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | ミノア minoa |
| 中文 | 米诺斯 mǐnuòsī |
| Português | minoico |
| Français | minoen |
| Deutsch | minoisch |
| Italiano | minoico |
| Ελληνικά | μινωικός minoïkós |
| Română | minoic, minoian |
| Русский | минойский minojskij |
| العربية | مِينُوسِيّ mīnūsiyy, مِينُوسِيَّة mīnūsiyya |
Talk about this word "Minoan." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/minoan. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. Minoan. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/minoan "Minoan." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/minoan.Cite this
@misc{minoan_2026,
title = {Minoan},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/minoan},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
