Indian

In•di•an

[[t]ˈɪn di ən[/t]] n.

1) off peo

American Indian

2) peo any of the indigenous languages of the American Indians

3) peo a native, citizen, or inhabitant of the Republic of India

4) peo a native or inhabitant of the subcontinent of India

5) peo of or pertaining to the American Indians or their languages

6) peo of or pertaining to India or S Asia

7) ecl

oriental 3)

8) belonging or pertaining to a phytogeographical division comprising India S of the Himalayas, and Pakistan and Sri Lanka

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Etymology: 1350–1400; < ME < OF < ML Indiānus usage: In modern times the term Indian may refer to a member of an aboriginal American people, to an inhabitant of the subcontinent of India, or to a citizen of the Republic of India. In the 18th century the term American Indian came to be used for the aboriginal inhabitants of the U.S. and Canada; it now includes the aboriginal peoples of South America as well. Amerindian and Amerind developed in the next century in a further attempt to reduce ambiguity. The most recent designation, esp. in North America, is Native American . American Indians themselves tend to use the terms Indian, American Indian or a specific tribal name. They sometimes refer to themselves collectively as Indian Peoples Whether one term will gain ascendancy over the others remains to be seen. The only pre-European inhabitants of North America to whom Indian or terms using the word Indian usu. are not applied are the Eskimos and Aleuts. See also Eskimo .