Indian
pronunciation
How to pronounce Indian in British English:
UK [ˈɪndiən]
How to pronounce Indian in American English:
US [ˈɪndiən]
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- Noun:
- a member of the race of people living in North America when Europeans arrived
- a native or inhabitant of India
- any of the languages spoken by Amerindians
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- Adjective:
- of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures
- of or pertaining to American Indians or their culture or languages
Word Origin
- Indian
- "inhabit of India or South Asia," c. 1300 (noun and adjective); applied to the native inhabitants of the Americas from at least 1553, on the mistaken notion that America was the eastern end of Asia. Red Indian, to distinguish them from inhabitants of India, is first attested 1831 (Carlyle) but was not commonly used in North America. More than 500 modern phrases include Indian, most of them U.S. and most impugning honesty or intelligence, such as Indian giver, first attested 1765 in Indian gift:An Indian gift is a proverbial expression, signifying a present for which an equivalent return is expected. [Thomas Hutchinson, "History of Massachusetts Bay," 1765]Meaning "one who gives a gift and then asks for it back" first attested 1892.
Example
- 1. These are the wonders of indian democracy .
- 2. Indian labour costs are high and laws are restrictive .
- 3. Cricket will continue to rule the indian psyche .
- 4. Name one american indian tribe in the united states .
- 5. The indian public is fed up .