Carolinian

1 of 3

adjective

Car·​o·​lin·​ian ¦karə¦linyən How to pronounce Carolinian (audio)
-nēən also -er- or -lē-;
chiefly substandard kə(r)ˈl-
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of the state of North Carolina or of South Carolina or of both
2
: of, relating to, or characteristic of the people of North Carolina or of South Carolina or of both
3
: of, relating to, or being the part of the Upper Austral life zone that lies east of the 100th meridian, has a northern mean daily temperature of 71.6° F during the 6 hottest weeks and a similar southern mean daily temperature of 78.8° F, extends from southern New England to Georgia, and forms the humid division of the Upper Austral zone
4
[Caroline entry 1 + -ian] : carolingian
5
[Caroline entry 1 + -ian] : caroline

Carolinian

2 of 3

noun (1)

How to pronounce Carolinian (audio)
plural -s
: a native or resident of North Carolina or South Carolina

Carolinian

3 of 3

noun (2)

How to pronounce Carolinian (audio)
plural -s
1
: a native or inhabitant of the Caroline islands
2
: any or all of the closely related Micronesian languages spoken by the native inhabitants of the Caroline islands

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Carolina, English colony from which North and South Carolina were formed, after Charles I (Carolus) †1649 king of England + English -ian

Noun (2)

Caroline (islands), archipelago in west Pacific + English -ian

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Cite this Entry

“Carolina.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Carolina. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.

Geographical Definition

Carolina 1 of 2

geographical name (1)

Car·​o·​li·​na ˌka-rə-ˈlī-nə How to pronounce Carolina (audio)
ˌker-ə-
English colony 1663–1729 on the east coast of North America, divided 1729 into North Carolina and South Carolina (the Car*o*li*nas \ ˌka-​rə-​ˈlī-​nəz How to pronounce Carolina (audio) , ˌker-​ə-​ \ )
Carolinian
ˌka-rə-ˈli-nē-ən How to pronounce Carolina (audio)
ˌker-ə-
-nyən
noun

Carolina

2 of 2

geographical name (2)

Ca·​ro·​li·​na ˌkä-rō-ˈlē-nä How to pronounce Carolina (audio)
city in northeast central Puerto Rico population 176,762
Carolinian noun

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