European

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   of or relating to Europe, its countries, peoples, or cultures

   The archive contains maps from several European countries.

2. 2
   noun

   a person who comes from or lives in Europe

   A European may hold citizenship in any of more than forty countries.

3. 3
   adj

   specifically, of or relating to the European Union or its institutions

   The proposal will be debated in the European Parliament next month.

4. 4
   adj

   finance: designating an option that can be exercised only on its expiration date

   Unlike an American option, a European option can be exercised only on its expiration date.

Borrowed from French européen, via Latin Europaeus, from Ancient Greek Eurōpaîos ("European"), derived from Eurōpē ("Europe"). In modern English it is transparently analyzed as Europe + -an, with -an forming both the adjective and the demonym.

Topics