lician

Lician is a term that may function as a demonym, an adjective, or a proper noun in different contexts. In historical usage, it is sometimes encountered as an alternative spelling of Lycian, referring to Lycia, an ancient region in southwest Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). The more common form in modern scholarship is Lycian; lician appears in older or transliterated texts.

Etymology and scope: The word derives from Lycia, with the suffix -an forming adjectives and demonyms. Variants such as Lician reflect transliteration practices from Greek or local inscriptions. In most modern references, Lician is considered archaic or nonstandard, and Lycian is preferred for related ethnonyms and linguistic terms.

Modern and fictional usage: Beyond archaeology and classical studies, Lician occasionally appears in worldbuilding, games, or fiction as a fictional people or language inspired by ancient Lycia. As a surname or place name, it may also occur, separate from the historical Lycia.

See also Lycia, Lycian language, Lycian alphabet.