eurasian

Everyday

1. Eurasian means about Eurasia — Europe and Asia together, the biggest piece of land on Earth. tree →
2. (science) Many animals have Eurasian in their names because they live across Europe and Asia, like the Eurasian otter or Eurasian jay. tree →
3. (dated) A Eurasian was a person with one European and one Asian parent. tree →

In the lessons

In geography lessons Europe and Asia are often treated as one continent called Eurasia; the Eurasian plate is a huge piece of the Earth's crust. In science, species names like «Eurasian blue tit» tell where an animal lives. Phrases: «Eurasian plate», «Eurasian otter».

Examples

• The Eurasian plate is one of the biggest tectonic plates. tree →
• Europe and Asia together form the Eurasian landmass. tree →
• We saw a Eurasian jay in the woods. tree →
• The Eurasian otter lives in rivers. tree →
• The Eurasian steppe is a huge grassland. tree →
• The Himalayas formed where the Indian and Eurasian plates meet. tree →

Note

Written with a capital: Eurasian. Starts with a «you» sound, so «a Eurasian», not «an». Using it for a person is old-fashioned; today people usually say «of mixed European and Asian heritage».