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noun Common

Alan

AL-uhn
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Alan (noun) means a member of the Alans, a nomadic Iranian-speaking people who roamed the Eurasian steppe in the first millennium AD. Example: “Historians trace the Alans' migrations from the steppes all the way into Roman Gaul and Iberia.”

noun
1
A member of the Alans, a nomadic Iranian-speaking people who roamed the Eurasian steppe in the first millennium AD.
"Historians trace the Alans' migrations from the steppes all the way into Roman Gaul and Iberia."

How to use Alan

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishAs a common noun, refers to the ancient nomadic Alan people; far more familiar today as the given name Alan.

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Word forms

Plural
Alans, Alani
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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

Historians trace the _____' migrations from the steppes all the way into Roman Gaul and Iberia.

Etymology

From Old Breton Alan, an early saints' name of disputed Celtic origin; unrelated to the historical "Alan" tribe name, which comes from an Iranian root.

Synonyms

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Alani

Rhymes for Alan

Galan Balan Catalan Guatemalan
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Frequently asked questions

What does “Alan” mean?
The word “Alan” means a member of the Alans, a nomadic Iranian-speaking people who roamed the Eurasian steppe in the first millennium AD. In plain terms, as a common noun, refers to the ancient nomadic Alan people; far more familiar today as the given name Alan.
How do you pronounce “Alan”?
“Alan” is pronounced AL-uhn (/ˈæl.ən/ in IPA).
How do you use “Alan” in a sentence?
Here is “Alan” used in a sentence: “Historians trace the Alans' migrations from the steppes all the way into Roman Gaul and Iberia.”
What part of speech is “Alan”?
“Alan” is a noun.
Is “Alan” a common word?
“Alan” is a fairly common word in modern English.
Who were the Alans?
The Alans were a nomadic, Iranian-speaking people who herded livestock across the vast Eurasian steppe during the first millennium AD. Skilled horsemen and warriors, they were related to the Sarmatians and Scythians. As the Roman world declined, groups of Alans migrated widely, some reaching as far west as Gaul, Spain, and North Africa.
What language did the Alans speak?
The Alans spoke an Eastern Iranian language, part of the same branch as Scythian and Sarmatian speech. It was quite different from the Persian of the settled empires to the south. Their tongue survives today, in changed form, as Ossetian, spoken in the Caucasus and regarded as its closest living descendant.
Do the Alans have any modern descendants?
Yes. The Ossetians of the Caucasus are widely regarded as descendants of the Alans, and their language descends from the old Alanic speech. During the great migrations many Alans were absorbed into other peoples, but the Ossetians preserved a distinct line that scholars trace directly back to these steppe nomads.
What happened to the Alans?
Pressure from the Huns in the fourth century scattered the Alans. Some were swept westward, joining the Vandals and settling in Gaul, Spain, and eventually North Africa, where they were gradually absorbed. Others stayed in the Caucasus and kept their identity, forming the medieval kingdom of Alania and, later, the Ossetian people.

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