Fabian

adjective

Fa·​bi·​an ˈfā-bē-ən 

1

a

: of, relating to, or in the manner of the Roman general Quintus Fabius Maximus known for his defeat of Hannibal in the Second Punic War by the avoidance of decisive contests

b

: cautious, dilatory

2

[the Fabian Society; from the members' belief in slow rather than revolutionary change in government] : of, relating to, or being a society of socialists organized in England in 1884 to spread socialist principles gradually

Fabian noun

Fabianism

ˈfā-bē-ə-ˌni-zəm 

noun

Word History

First Known Use

1638, in the meaning defined at sense 1a