What (who) is Indian - definition

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Indians; Indianness; Indian (Americas); Indian (Asian); Indian peoples; INDIAN; Indian (disambiguation); Native Indian; Indian (film); Native Indians; The Indian

Indian

n. an American Indian USAGE NOTE: To somebody from Canada and the United States, the primary meaning of Indian is 'American Indian'. To somebody from other English-speaking countries, the primary meaning is 'native of India'. Note that a West Indian is always somebody from the West Indies.

Indian

·noun A native or inhabitant of India.

II. Indian ·adj Made of maize or Indian corn; as, Indian corn, Indian meal, Indian bread, and the like.

III. Indian ·adj Of or pertaining to India proper; also to the East Indies, or, sometimes, to the West Indies.

IV. Indian ·adj Of or pertaining to the aborigines, or Indians, of America; as, Indian wars; the Indian tomahawk.

V. Indian ·noun One of the aboriginal inhabitants of America;

- so called originally from the supposed identity of America with India.

Indian

¦ noun

1. a native or national of India, or a person of Indian descent.

2. an American Indian.

¦ adjective

1. relating to India.

2. relating to the indigenous peoples of America.

Derivatives

Indianism noun

Indianization or Indianisation noun

Indianize or Indianise verb

Indianness noun

Usage

American native peoples were called Indian as a result of Christopher Columbus and others believing that, when they reached the east coast of America, they had reached part of India by a new route. The terms Indian and Red Indian are today regarded as old-fashioned, recalling, as they do, the stereotypical portraits of the Wild West. The term American Indian, however, is well established.