Indian

5 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Indian \In"di*an\ (?; 277), a. [From India, and this fr. Indus,
     the name of a river in Asia, L. Indus, Gr. ?, OPers. Hindu,
     name of the land on the Indus, Skr. sindhu river, the Indus.
     Cf. {Hindu}.]
     [1913 Webster]
     1. Of or pertaining to India proper; also to the East Indies,


        or, sometimes, to the West Indies.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Of or pertaining to the aborigines, or Indians, of
        America; as, Indian wars; the Indian tomahawk.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. Made of maize or Indian corn; as, Indian corn, Indian
        meal, Indian bread, and the like. [U.S.]
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Indian} bay (Bot.), a lauraceous tree ({Persea Indica}).
  
     {Indian bean} (Bot.), a name of the catalpa.
  
     {Indian berry}. (Bot.) Same as {Cocculus indicus}.
  
     {Indian bread}. (Bot.) Same as {Cassava}.
  
     {Indian club}, a wooden club, which is swung by the hand for
        gymnastic exercise.
  
     {Indian cordage}, cordage made of the fibers of cocoanut
        husk.
  
     {Indian cress} (Bot.), nasturtium. See {Nasturtium}, 2.
  
     {Indian cucumber} (Bot.), a plant of the genus {Medeola}
        ({Medeola Virginica}), a common in woods in the United
        States. The white rootstock has a taste like cucumbers.
  
     {Indian currant} (Bot.), a plant of the genus
        {Symphoricarpus} ({Symphoricarpus vulgaris}), bearing
        small red berries.
  
     {Indian dye}, the puccoon.
  
     {Indian fig}. (Bot.)
        (a) The banyan. See {Banyan}.
        (b) The prickly pear.
  
     {Indian file}, single file; arrangement of persons in a row
        following one after another, the usual way among Indians
        of traversing woods, especially when on the war path.
  
     {Indian fire}, a pyrotechnic composition of sulphur, niter,
        and realgar, burning with a brilliant white light.
  
     {Indian grass} (Bot.), a coarse, high grass ({Chrysopogon
        nutans}), common in the southern portions of the United
        States; wood grass. --Gray.
  
     {Indian hemp}. (Bot.)
        (a) A plant of the genus {Apocynum} ({Apocynum
            cannabinum}), having a milky juice, and a tough,
            fibrous bark, whence the name. The root it used in
            medicine and is both emetic and cathartic in
            properties.
        (b) The variety of common hemp ({Cannabis Indica}), from
            which hasheesh is obtained.
  
     {Indian mallow} (Bot.), the velvet leaf ({Abutilon
        Avicenn[ae]}). See {Abutilon}.
  
     {Indian meal}, ground corn or maize. [U.S.]
  
     {Indian millet} (Bot.), a tall annual grass ({Sorghum
        vulgare}), having many varieties, among which are broom
        corn, Guinea corn, durra, and the Chinese sugar cane. It
        is called also {Guinea corn}. See {Durra}.
  
     {Indian ox} (Zool.), the zebu.
  
     {Indian paint}. See {Bloodroot}.
  
     {Indian paper}. See {India paper}, under {India}.
  
     {Indian physic} (Bot.), a plant of two species of the genus
        {Gillenia} ({Gillenia trifoliata}, and {Gillenia
        stipulacea}), common in the United States, the roots of
        which are used in medicine as a mild emetic; -- called
        also {American ipecac}, and {bowman's root}. --Gray.
  
     {Indian pink}. (Bot.)
        (a) The Cypress vine ({Ipom[oe]a Quamoclit}); -- so called
            in the West Indies.
        (b) See {China pink}, under {China}.
  
     {Indian pipe} (Bot.), a low, fleshy herb ({Monotropa
        uniflora}), growing in clusters in dark woods, and having
        scalelike leaves, and a solitary nodding flower. The whole
        plant is waxy white, but turns black in drying.
  
     {Indian plantain} (Bot.), a name given to several species of
        the genus {Cacalia}, tall herbs with composite white
        flowers, common through the United States in rich woods.
        --Gray.
  
     {Indian poke} (Bot.), a plant usually known as the {white
        hellebore} ({Veratrum viride}).
  
     {Indian pudding}, a pudding of which the chief ingredients
        are Indian meal, milk, and molasses.
  
     {Indian purple}.
        (a) A dull purple color.
        (b) The pigment of the same name, intensely blue and
            black.
  
     {Indian red}.
        (a) A purplish red earth or pigment composed of a silicate
            of iron and alumina, with magnesia. It comes from the
            Persian Gulf. Called also {Persian red}.
        (b) See {Almagra}.
  
     {Indian rice} (Bot.), a reedlike water grass. See {Rice}.
  
     {Indian shot} (Bot.), a plant of the genus {Canna} ({Canna
        Indica}). The hard black seeds are as large as swan shot.
        See {Canna}.
  
     {Indian summer}, in the United States, a period of warm and
        pleasant weather occurring late in autumn. See under
        {Summer}.
  
     {Indian tobacco} (Bot.), a species of {Lobelia}. See
        {Lobelia}.
  
     {Indian turnip} (Bot.), an American plant of the genus
        {Aris[ae]ma}. {Aris[ae]ma triphyllum} has a wrinkled
        farinaceous root resembling a small turnip, but with a
        very acrid juice. See {Jack in the Pulpit}, and
        {Wake-robin}.
  
     {Indian wheat}, maize or Indian corn.
  
     {Indian yellow}.
        (a) An intense rich yellow color, deeper than gamboge but
            less pure than cadmium.
        (b) See {Euxanthin}.
            [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Indian \In"di*an\ (?; 277), n.
     1. A native or inhabitant of India.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. One of the aboriginal inhabitants of America; -- so called
        originally from the supposed identity of America with
        India.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Indian
       adj 1: of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East
              Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures; "the
              Indian subcontinent"; "Indian saris"
       2: of or pertaining to American Indians or their culture or
          languages; "Native American religions"; "Indian
          arrowheads" [syn: {Amerind}, {Amerindic}, {native American}]
       n 1: a member of the race of people living in North America when
            Europeans arrived [syn: {North American Indian}, {American
            Indian}, {Red Indian}]
       2: a native or inhabitant of India
       3: any of the languages spoken by Amerindians [syn: {Amerind},
          {Amerindian language}, {American-Indian language}, {American
          Indian}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  45 Moby Thesaurus words for "Indian":
     American Indian, Amerind, Antarctic, Arctic, Atlantic,
     Australian aborigine, Bushman, Caucasian, Malayan, Mister Charley,
     Mongolian, Negrillo, Negrito, Negro, Oriental, Pacific, Red Indian,
     WASP, black, black man, blackfellow, boy, brown man, burrhead,
     colored person, coon, darky, gook, honky, jigaboo, jungle bunny,
     nigger, niggra, ofay, paleface, pygmy, red man, redskin, slant-eye,
     spade, the Man, white, white man, whitey, yellow man
  
  

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  INDIANS. The aborigines of this country are so called.
       2. In general, Indians have no political rights in the United States; 
  they cannot vote at the general elections for officers, nor hold office. In 
  New York they are considered as citizens and not as aliens, owing allegiance 
  to the government and entitled to its protection. 20 John. 188, 633. But it 
  was ruled that the Cherokee nation in Georgia was a distinct community. 6 
  Pet. 515. See 8 Cowen, 189; 9 Wheat. 673; 14 John. 181, 332 18 John. 506.