Indian

noun

In·​di·​an ˈin-dē-ən 

 dialectal  -jən,

 or  -din

1

a

: a native or inhabitant of India or of the East Indies

b

: a person of Indian descent

2

a

: american indian

b

: one of the native languages of American Indians

Indian adjective

Indianness noun

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing Indian

• American Indian
• Indian agent
• Indian club
• Indian corn
• Indian elephant
• Indian file
• Indian giver
• Indian grass
• Indian hemp
• Indian ink
• Indian licorice
• Indian meal
• Indian mulberry
• Indian paintbrush
• Indian pipe
• Indian pudding
• Indian red
• Indian rhino
• Indian rhinoceros
• Indian sign
• Indian summer
• Indian tobacco
• Indian-wrestle
• Indian wrestling
• non-Indian
• Paleo-Indian
• Red Indian
• wooden Indian

Kids Definition

Indian

noun

In·​di·​an ˈin-dē-ən 

1

a

: a person born or living in the country of India or the East Indies

b

: a person of Indian ancestry

2

a

: american indian

b

: one of the native languages of Indigenous people of No. America

Indian adjective

Word Origin

Once the name India was applied not only to the region we now call India, but also to an ill-defined area south and west of China. Trade with the distant East brought valuable gold, gems, spices, and silk back to Europe. However, the overland journey to eastern Asia by way of the caravan routes was long and difficult. Christopher Columbus, in the late 15th century, believed that he knew an easier way of reaching the wealth of the East. According to his calculations, the westward distance by sea was less than one-third of the eastward overland route. Columbus was able to test his theory in 1492. He found land just about where he had said it would be. He decided that he must have reached the outer islands of "India," although in fact he had landed in the Bahamas. Because of Columbus's mistake, these lands were called India or the Indies. They were still called this even after people realized that they were not the same as the India or Indies of Asia. Later the islands in the New World came to be called the West Indies in order to tell them apart from the East Indies. But Indian, the incorrect name given to the people living in the new "India," remained.