Indian

noun

In·​di·​an ˈin-dē-ən 

 dialectal  -jən,

 or  -din

plural Indians

1

a

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

b

: a person of Indian descent

2

a

often offensive; see usage paragraph below : american indian

b

: one of the native languages of Indigenous Americans

Indian adjective

Indianness noun

Usage of Indian and American Indian

Due to its origin as a misnomer, its history of use by white colonizers, and its tendency to negate distinctions between Indigenous peoples, sense 2a of Indian is often considered offensive when used by a non-Indigenous person. The related term American Indian is sometimes considered offensive, but is more widely accepted than Indian. Suggested alternatives for both of these terms include Native American, Native/Indigenous/aboriginal person, and the nouns Native and First People. (See also First Nation, Inuit, and Métis.)That said, any of these names may be considered inappropriate or disrespectful where a more specific group designation (such as the name of a particular Indigenous nation) could be used instead. In such contexts, the usual recommendation is to use the group name that is preferred by the group or member being identified. The word Indian still appears in some official U.S. government titles, such as "Bureau of Indian Affairs" and "Indian Child Welfare Act." Similarly, the term American Indian appears throughout official U.S. government writing for and about Indigenous American peoples.

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
• Pan-Indian
• Red Indian
• wooden Indian

Rhymes for Indian

• amerindian

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.