Tibetan, n. and a.
(tɪˈbɛtən)
Also † Thibetan.
A. n. A native or inhabitant of Tibet; also, the language of Tibet, a member of the Tibeto-Burmese sub-family of the Sino-Tibetan language group.
| 1822 tr. Malte-Brun's Universal Geogr. I. 571 The stock or family of the languages of Eastern Asia..differs entirely from that of the Indo-Germanic languages. It comprehends the Thibetan, the Chinese, the Burman, [etc.]. 1842 Penny Cycl. XXIV. 429/1 The Tibetans belong to the Mongol race. 1891 W. W. Rockhill Land of Lamas 97 It was with him..that I commenced studying Tibetan. 1962 L. Davidson Rose of Tibet ii. 48 Caravan teamsters strolled everywhere; but..he noticed no Tibetans. 1979 A. Henning tr. Myrdal's Silk Road (1980) ix. 71 Large steles..inscribed in Han, Manchu, Oirat, and Tibetan. |
B. adj. 1. Of or pertaining to Tibet, its inhabitants, or their language.
| 1828 Asiatick Res. XVI. 410, I have added a few words from the Tibetan vocabularies of the Asia Polyglotta. 1888 Encycl. Brit. XXIII. 343/1 The centres for Tibetan trade. Ibid. 843/2 The Tibetan race is not thoroughly homogeneous. 1942 M. Cable Gobi Desert 32 Flowing beards made from the soft white tail of the Tibetan yak. 1960 [see Bhutanese n. and a.]. 1974 China Reconstructs July 35/3 It used to be thought that the Tibetan plateau had no coal... For generations the Tibetan serfs used butter lamps and pine knots for lighting. |
2. Special collocations:
Tibetan cherry, a white-flowered cherry tree,
Prunus serrula, native to western China;
Tibetan mastiff, a large black-and-tan dog with a thick coat and drop ears, belonging to the breed of this name;
Tibetan spaniel, a small white, brown, or black dog with a silky coat of medium length, belonging to the breed of this name;
Tibetan terrier, a grey, black, cream, or particoloured terrier with a thick, shaggy coat, belonging to the breed of this name.
| 1948 C. Ingram Ornamental Cherries ii. 138 In cultivation the Tibetan Cherry tends to lose its squat, compact habit of growth. 1982 Times 20 Nov. (Saturday Suppl.) 3/3 A tree which likes to be stroked is the Tibetan cherry... The bark has probably the richest shade of all the coloured-bark trees—a striking mahogany is discovered when the outer bark peels away. |
| 1852 T. Smith Narr. Five Years' Residence at Nepaul II. 295 Young Porcupine. Tibetan Mastiff. Common Hare of central region. 1905 P. Landon Lhasa I. xi. 403 The so-called Tibetan mastiff..is a great shaggy creature, with a very massive head. 1976 T. Heald Let Sleeping Dogs Die ix. 186 A more than generous helping of Tibetan mastiff, so fierce a dog that Aristotle thought it half tiger. |
| 1930 Observer 9 Feb. 13/2 The foreign classes..will contain such rarities as Lhasa terriers, Thibetan spaniels, [etc.]. 1970 Times 5 Feb. (Pedigree Dog Suppl.) p. ii/2 Recently there was a market tip for Tibetan spaniels, golden-coated, lion-like dogs of pleasing temperament. |
| 1905 P. Landon Lhasa I. xi. 387 The typical Tibetan terrier, a long-coated little fellow with a sharp nose, prick ears, and..black from muzzle to tail. 1976 T. Heald Let Sleeping Dogs Die i. 12 The latest is a Tibetan terrier in Tokyo. |