Pronunciation: /fəˈnɪʃ(ə)n, -ˈniː-/
noun
-
1a member of a Semitic people inhabiting ancient Phoenicia and its colonies. The Phoenicians prospered from trade and manufacturing until the capital, Tyre, was sacked by Alexander the Great in 332 bc.
-
2 [mass noun] the Semitic language of the Phoenicians, written in an alphabet that was the ancestor of the Greek and Roman alphabets.
adjective
-
relating to Phoenicia, its people, or its language.