Nestorian

Nestorian adjective: relating to teachings or to the followers of Nestorius.

Adjective

Nestorian (comparative more Nestorian, superlative most Nestorian)

(derogatory, sometimes) Relating to teachings or to the followers of Nestorius.
- A Nestorian stele, dated 781AD, was discovered in 1625 near Chang'an.
- Through them passed not only the traders of the Silk Route[…] but also lone Buddhist monks carrying precious cargoes of scrolls in their backpacks, white-robed Manichean sages from Iran and austere Nestorian clerics who founded Christian monasteries even in remote Tibet.1995 November 25, Michael Gibson, “The Treasures of a Lost Buddhist World”, in The International Herald Tribune, →ISSN

Nestorian (plural Nestorians)

(derogatory, sometimes) A perceived follower of Nestorius in the fourth and fifth centuries. A member of a Nestorian church.
- After his return he bitterly complained of being called a Nestorian by the Monophysite Philoxenus, declaring that he "knew nothing" of Nestorius.

From Nestor + -ian.

What does Nestorian mean?: Nestorian means relating to teachings or to the followers of Nestorius.
What is Nestorian in Arabic?: Nestorian in Arabic is نُسْطُورِيّ (nusṭūriyy). See Nestorian meaning in Arabic.
What part of speech is Nestorian?: Nestorian can be an adjective or a noun.

Adapted from Wiktionary: Nestorian (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.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

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