Indian
- 1
- 2Someone who comes from the country of India.
My new neighbor is an Indian who grew up in Mumbai.
Many Indians live and work in cities all over the world.
UsageTo be clear, some people say Asian Indian or East Indian.
- 3A member of an Indigenous people of the Americas, usually excluding Aleut, Inuit, Métis, and Yupik peoples.
Her grandfather was a Navajo Indian who grew up in Arizona.
The Indians of the Southwest built their homes from adobe.
UsageMany people now say Native American or use the group's own name, like Navajo.
SimilarAmerindian, Amerind
Note
- 4Belonging to the native peoples who lived in the Americas before Europeans arrived.
The museum has many Indian artifacts from the Great Plains.
Many Indian tribes lived along this river before the settlers came.
UsageNative American is clearer, because Indian can also mean from India.
SimilarAmerindian
Note
Less common meanings
- 5Short way of saying Indian cuisine. It means food cooked in the style of India.
I love Indian, especially the spicy dishes.
We had Indian for dinner last night.
UsageFor food in general, say Indian without an article: we had Indian for dinner. In British English, an Indian can also mean an Indian meal.
- 6Short way of saying Indian restaurant. In the UK people use it to mean the place where you eat Indian food.
There's a new Indian on the high street we should try.
We met outside the Indian before the movie started.
UsagePeople say the Indian or our local Indian. In writing, say Indian restaurant.
- 7Made using cornmeal or maize.
Grandma baked a warm Indian pudding for dessert.
For dessert we had Indian pudding, baked with cornmeal and molasses.
UsageMostly in food names like Indian pudding.
Note
- 8Any language spoken by people from India, especially Hindi.
My little brother asked our new neighbor from Mumbai if she spoke Indian.
[They said] 'Mutton can speak Indian', 'Mutton can see Kanchinjunga out of his bedroom window'[.]
1968, Anne Rider, A hilltop in hazardHere, Indian means Hindi or another language spoken in India.UsageSay the real language, like Hindi or Tamil.
SimilarHindustani
Note
- 9Any of the many different languages spoken by Native Americans.
The old trader picked up enough Indian to bargain at the trading post.
Few records survive of the Indian once spoken in that valley.
UsageSay the real language, like Ojibwe, if you know it.
- 10Coming from or belonging to eastern lands.
Note
- 11A native person of Australia, New Zealand, or the Pacific islands.
Note
- 12Short way of saying Mardi Gras Indian. It means a Black New Orleans carnival reveler in a beaded, feathered suit.
- 13Describing a group of chess openings where black usually fights for the center with pieces instead of placing pawns there early.
- 14A toy marble with colored stripes over a solid black center.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
From old French words for "of India." It was later used for the native peoples of the Americas because people first wrongly thought the Americas were part of Asia (the Indies).
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
- Indian derives ultimately from Old French forms, through Middle English and French. en.wiktionary.org
- The Old French word meant 'of India.' en.wiktionary.org
- The name was subsequently applied to Indigenous Americans because their lands were mistaken for the Indies. exploration.marinersmuseum.org
- Early European explorers mistakenly believed the Americas were part of eastern Asia, called the Indies. wwws.loc.gov