Word.ws English Dictionary

Lessepsian

Syllables: Les·seps·i·an/leɪˈsɛp.sɪ.ən/

Lessepsian adjective: pertaining to the French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, who designed the Suez Canal.

Adjective

Lessepsian (not comparable)

  1. (obsolete, rare) Pertaining to the French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, who designed the Suez Canal.
    • The preposterous demands urged in connexion with the bombardment of Alexandria are the youngest, as the Lessepsian conception of the rights of the Canal Company is among the oldest, fruits of the same general ideas.1882 September 30, “The Suez Canal”, in The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science, and Art, volume LIV, number 1,405, London: Published [by David Jones] at the Office, […], →OCLC, page...
    • Did not Lord Palmerston declare that the construction of the canal was an impossibility? What subsequent occurrence can prevail over these two eternal truths? The Lessepsian policy has in fact been throughout a policy of absolute monopoly, which received its first and only defeat from Lord...1883, “England and France in the East”, in The National Review, volume 1, London: Edward Arnold, →OCLC, page 800
  2. (marine biology) Of or relating to organisms that migrate from the Red Sea to the eastern Mediterranean Sea by means of the Suez Canal.
    • The Polychaeta Cirriformia semicincta, Branchiosyllis uncinigera and Spirobranchus giganteus, considered by [Lucien] Laubier (1966) to be lessepsian immigrants, are more probably circumtropical species, which are warm water relics along the Levant coast, where Laubier found them, and not...1971 June, F[rancis] D[ov] Por, “One Hundred Years of Suez Canal—a Century of Lessepsian Migration: Retrospect and Viewpoints”, in Systematic Zoology, volume 20, number 2, Washington, D.C.: Society...
    • The Middle East is an area of complex tectonic history through time, and this complexity is reflected in the biogeography of the region. Essentially, six historico-biogeographical 'strata' can be recognized among the crustaceans which inhabit the region. These are: [...] 6) Lessepsian migrants...1986, F[rancis] D[ov] Por, “Crustacean Biogeography of the Late Middle Miocene Middle Eastern Landbridge”, in Robert H. Gore, Kenneth L. Heck, editors, Crustacean Biogeography (Crustacean Issues; 4)...

Noun

Lessepsian (plural Lessepsians)

  1. (marine biology) Any species that migrated in this manner.

Examples of Lessepsian in a sentence

  • The Lessepsian policy has in fact been throughout a policy of absolute monopoly, which received its first and only defeat from Lord Beaconsfield's purchase of the Khedive's shares in 1875.1883, “England and France in the East”, in The National Review, volume 1, London: Edward Arnold, →OCLC, page 800:
  • These are: [...] 6) Lessepsian migrants between the Mediterranean and Red Seas after the opening of the Suez Canal.1986, F[rancis] D[ov] Por, “Crustacean Biogeography of the Late Middle Miocene Middle Eastern Landbridge”, in Robert H. Gore, Kenneth L....
  • This process is called Lessepsian migration, after Ferdinand Marie de Lesseps, the French diplomat and engineer who built the canal.2004, Lovrenc Lipej, Jakov Dulčić, “The Current Status of Adriatic Fish Biodiversity”, in Huw I. Griffiths, Boris Kryštufek, Jane M. Reed...
  • However, while many necto-benthic and benthic Lessepsian fish are thriving, the inshore pelagic fish communities do not seem much affected by the dozen Lessepsian species inhabiting this area [...].2007 April, M[ichel] Bariche, M. Sadek, M. S. Al-Zein, M. El-Fadel, “Diversity of Juvenile Fish Assemblages in the Pelagic Waters of...

Forms of Lessepsian

pluralLessepsians

Origin of Lessepsian

From Lesseps, the surname of Ferdinand de Lesseps (1805–1894) + -ian (suffix forming adjectives or nouns meaning ‘belonging to, relating to, or like’).

Words formed from Lessepsian

Questions about Lessepsian

What does Lessepsian mean?
Lessepsian means pertaining to the French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, who designed the Suez Canal.
How do you use Lessepsian in a sentence?
The Lessepsian policy has in fact been throughout a policy of absolute monopoly, which received its first and only defeat from Lord Beaconsfield's purchase of the Khedive's shares in 1875.
What part of speech is Lessepsian?
Lessepsian can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce Lessepsian?
Lessepsian is pronounced /leɪˈsɛp.sɪ.ən/ (UK).

Words near Lessepsian in the dictionary

  1. lessening
  2. lessenings
  3. lessens
  4. Lesseps
  5. Lessepses
  6. Lessepsian
  7. Lessepsian migration
  8. Lessepsians
  9. lesser
  10. lesser adjutant
  11. lesser adjutants

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: Lessepsian (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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