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Indian

//ˈɪn.dɪ.ən// adj, name, noun, slang

Definitions

Adjective

1
Of or relating to India or its people; or (formerly) of the East Indies.
"An IAF representative told an Indian parliamentary committee that due to the Ukraine war a “major delivery” from Moscow “is not going to take place.”"
2
Alternative letter-case form of Indian (“indigenous”). alt-of
3
Eastern; Oriental. obsolete
"The morrow next apprear'd with purple hayre / Yet dropping fresh out of the Indian fount, / And bringing light into the heavens fayre […]."
4
Of or relating to the indigenous peoples of the Americas.
"The hardships of bark-collecting in the primeval forests of South America are of the severest kind, and undergone only by the half-civilized Indians and people of mixed race, in the pay of speculators or companies located in the towns."
5
Made with Indian corn or maize. Canada, US
"Indian bread"

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6
Designating any of various chess openings now characterised by black's attempt to control the board through knights and fianchettoed bishops rather than with a central pawn advance.

Adjective

1
of or pertaining to Native Americans or their culture or languages wordnet
2
of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures wordnet

Proper Noun

1
Any of the (unrelated) languages spoken by American Indians. nonstandard
2
Any language spoken by natives of India, especially Hindi. nonstandard, rare
"[They said] 'Mutton can speak Indian', 'Mutton can see Kanchinjunga out of his bedroom window'[.]"

Noun

1
A person from India. countable
"Young Indians looking for work opportunities have made up a sizeable portion of undocumented migrants in the US, many after making the dangerous trek through Latin America to reach the US southern border."
2
Alternative letter-case form of Indian (“indigene”). alt-of
3
any of the languages spoken by Amerindians wordnet
4
An American Indian, a member of one of the indigenous peoples of the Americas (generally excluding the Aleut, Inuit, Metis, and Yupik). countable
"We stigmatize the Indians, also, as cowardly and treacherous, because they use stratagem in warfare in preference to open force; but in this they are fully justified by their rude code of honor."
5
a native or inhabitant of India wordnet

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6
An indigenous inhabitant of Australia, New Zealand or the Pacific islands. countable, obsolete
7
Ellipsis of Indian cuisine. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, uncountable
"Have you ever tried Indian?"
8
Ellipsis of Indian meal (“meal consisting of Indian cuisine”). UK, abbreviation, alt-of, colloquial, countable, ellipsis
"We're going out tonight for an Indian."
9
Ellipsis of Indian restaurant (“restaurant serving Indian cuisine”). UK, abbreviation, alt-of, colloquial, countable, ellipsis
"We're going down to the Indian for a curry—wanna join us?"
10
Ellipsis of Mardi Gras Indian. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis
11
A kind of marble (spherical toy) with colored bands on an opaque black base. countable, uncountable

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Anglo-Norman indien, Middle French indien, corresponding to Ind + -ian or India + -an. Applied to inhabitants of the Americas due to an early misconception that the Americas were the eastern end of Asia / the Indies (hence also the designation of Caribbean islands as the West Indies).

Etymology 2

Etymology 3

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