adj, noun — 2 senses
UK /ˈsɛrɪkən/
Etymology From Latin Sēricānus, from Sērica (“Serica, China, ancient northern China”) + -ānus (“-an”), from Ancient Greek Σηρικά (Sēriká), from σήρ (sḗr, “silkworm”), and possibly ultimately from Old Chinese 絲 (*sə, “silk”). Equivalent to Serica + -an. Doublet of Seric.
Archaic, Historical Synonym of Chinese or Northern Chinese, chiefly in the context of ancient Greco-Roman knowledge of China.
Etymology From Latin Sēricānus, from Sērica (“Serica, China, ancient northern China”) + -ānus (“-an”), from Ancient Greek Σηρικά (Sēriká), from σήρ (sḗr, “silkworm”), and possibly ultimately from Old Chinese 絲 (*sə, “silk”). Equivalent to Serica + -an. Doublet of Seric.
Archaic, Historical Synonym of Chinese or Northern Chinese, chiefly in the context of ancient Greco-Roman knowledge of China.
Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.