European

1 of 2

adjective

Eu·​ro·​pe·​an ˌyu̇r-ə-ˈpē-ən 

-ˈpēn

: of, relating to, or characteristic of Europe or its people

Europeanness noun

European

2 of 2

noun

1

: a native or inhabitant of Europe

2

: a person of European descent

Examples of European in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

There are certainly alternatives to chlorine and chloramines, which come with their own benefits and detriments: many European countries disinfect their water with ozone, and McCurry says that another option is the use of UV light. —Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 22 Nov. 2024

Perhaps surprising to some people, Parker in fact has a European background. —Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024

Noun

The new observations using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer in Chile reveal a star puffing out gas and dust, apparently in its final stages of life before going supernova. —Jamie Carter, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024

On Thursday, the European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO), a research body, published its annual report on the theatrical performance of European movies worldwide. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1555, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing European

• European American
• European bison
• European chafer
• European corn borer
• European flat
• European flat oyster
• European hornet
• European mountain ash
• European oyster
• European plan
• European red mite
• Indo-European
• Indo-European languages
• non-European
• non-Indo-European
• smaller European elm bark beetle
• un-European

Kids Definition

European

1 of 2 adjective

Eu·​ro·​pe·​an ˌyu̇r-ə-ˈpē-ən 

: of or relating to Europe or its people

European

2 of 2 noun

1

: a person born or living in Europe

2

: a person of European ancestry