Rafflesian
Syllables: Raf·fles·ian/ɹəˈfliː.ʒən/US/ɹəˈfli.ʒən/
Rafflesian adjective: of or relating to Sir Stamford Raffles, a British colonial statesman known for his founding of modern Singapore and British Malaya.
Adjective
Rafflesian (not comparable)
- Of or relating to Sir Stamford Raffles, a British colonial statesman known for his founding of modern Singapore and British Malaya.
- A specimen of this species belongs to the Rafflesian collection; but it is believed that it was brought from Borneo, whence Sir Stamford obtained some valuable subjects of Natural History, particularly the two following subjects.1830, [Lady Sophia Raffles, née Sophia Hull], “Catalogue of Zoological Specimens”, in Memoir of the Life and Public Services of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, F.R.S. &c. […], London: John Murray, […]...
- Lee Kong Chian's multilingual and multicultural vision was more moderate and was far more in line with the original Rafflesian vision for education in Singapore—indeed, what the British Government had hoped for the colony.2003, Chan Kwok Bun, Tong Chee Kiong, editors, Past Times: A Social History of Singapore, Singapore: Times Editions, →ISBN, page 29
- Of or relating to an educational institution named after Sir Stamford Raffles.
- But Philip Liau was always in the thick of Rafflesian life and he made his impact in much more subtle and direct ways. His closeness to his teachers was exemplified by the fact that he regarded them with respect and allowed no one to take them for granted.1989, E[ugene] Wijeysingha, The Eagle Breeds a Gryphon: The Story of the Raffles Institution 1823–1985, Singapore: Pioneer Book Centre, →ISBN, page 272
- Raffles Junior College, which is 11 years old, is part of the Rafflesian family, and so falls under the umbrella of the Old Rafflesian Association.1992, Singapore Bulletin, Singapore: Publicity Division, Ministry of Culture, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 13, column 2
Noun
Rafflesian (plural Rafflesians)
- A current or former student of an educational institution named after Sir Stamford Raffles.
- By 1961 the first Yang di Pertuan Negara (a former Rafflesian) of self-governing Singapore, Enche Yusof bin Ishak, addressed the school on founder's day – one of the grandest of all founder's day celebrations in the school's history.1976, Ray [K.] Tyers, Singapore, Then & Now, volume 1, Singapore: University Education Press, →OCLC, page 170, column 2
- One does not, of course, have to read this article to know the character of this old boy [David Saul Marshall]. Many a praise is yet sung by the school and its pupils of this old Rafflesian.1989, E[ugene] Wijeysingha, The Eagle Breeds a Gryphon: The Story of the Raffles Institution 1823–1985, Singapore: Pioneer Book Centre, →ISBN, page 139
Forms of Rafflesian
| plural | Rafflesians |
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Origin of Rafflesian
From Raffles, the surname of Sir Stamford Raffles (1781–1826) + -ian (suffix forming adjectives or nouns meaning ‘belonging to, relating to, or like’).
Questions about Rafflesian
- What does Rafflesian mean?
- Rafflesian means of or relating to Sir Stamford Raffles, a British colonial statesman known for his founding of modern Singapore and British Malaya.
- What part of speech is Rafflesian?
- Rafflesian can be an adjective or a noun.
- How do you pronounce Rafflesian?
- Rafflesian is pronounced /ɹəˈfliː.ʒən/ (UK).
Words near Rafflesian in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: Rafflesian (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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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Rafflesian1.wav.
Cite this entry: “Rafflesian.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/rafflesian. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.