Of, or pertaining to, the Dutch province of Friesland, the Frisian people or the Frisian language
an alternate name for the West Frisian language, widely used in informal speech and writing, or where context makes the meaning unambiguous. (Compare: America, when synonymous with the United States of America.)
the language group (West Frisian, Saterland Frisian, and North Frisian) spoken by many people in the Dutch province of Friesland, some people in Northern Germany and in some parts of Denmark, mainly west coast
a West Germanic language spoken in Friesland in the northwestern Netherlands; a near relative of English a native or inhabitant of Friesland or Frisia of or relating to the people or culture or language of Friesland or Frisia
A chain of islands in the North Sea off the coast of the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. The West Frisian Islands belong to the Netherlands. The East Frisian Islands and most of the North Frisian Islands are part of Germany; the other North Frisians are Danish. Chain of islands, North Sea. They extend 3 to 20 mi (5 to 32 km) off the northern European mainland, along the Dutch and German coasts and the southern part of Denmark's Jutland peninsula. Although they form a single physical feature, it is customary to subdivide them into the West Frisian Islands (held by The Netherlands), East Frisian Islands (Germany), and North Frisian Islands (Germany and Denmark). After the North Sea established a southwestern outlet to the Atlantic about 7,000-5,000 BC, its southeasterly shore probably coincided with the present curve of the Frisians. Periodic subsidence, storms, and flooding have since produced this long chain of islands separated from the mainland by a narrow belt of shallow waters and tidal mud flats. The Dutch and German governments have spent large sums to protect the islands' seaward coasts and reclaim the land for farming. The beaches and resorts attract many tourists
West Germanic language most closely related to English. Formerly spoken from the province of North Holland in The Netherlands to the province of Schleswig in northern Germany, Frisian is now spoken only in three small areas, each with its own dialect. West Frisian is spoken in the province of Friesland in The Netherlands, East Frisian in the Saterland west of Oldenburg, Ger., and North Frisian along the western coast of Schleswig on the Frisian Islands. Written records in Old Frisian date from the end of the 13th century. From the late 16th century to the late 19th century, written Frisian was seldom used. In modern times there has been a revival of West Frisian, and it is considered an official language by the Dutch government
a language spoken mostly in the province of Friesland, in the north of the Netherlands; West Lauwers Frisian, one of the three West Frisian languages (or language varieties)