Where does “Indian” come from?
Indian derives from Anglo-Norman indien, a term applied to inhabitants and products of the lands reached by European exploration.
Indian (English): Of or relating to India or its people; or of the...
Definitions
- Of or relating to India or its people; or of the...
Ancestry of “Indian”, step by step
Indian traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle French indien
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | indien | — |
| 2 | Old French | indien | Indian |
| 3 | Old French | Inde | India |
| 4 | Latin | India | — |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | Ἰνδία | — |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | Ἰνδός | an inhabitant of India or the Indian... |
| 7 | Old Persian | 𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢𐏁 | India; people living beyond the Indus |
| 8 | Sanskrit | सिन्धु | a river, stream; flood, waters; ocean, sea |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | síndʰuṣ | river, ocean; flow |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | síndʰuš | river, stream |
| 11 | Sanskrit | सिन्धु॑ | — |
via Anglo-Norman indien
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anglo-Norman | indien | Indian |