*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Hindu

Derived from Classical Persian هِنْدُو (hindū, “Indian, Hindu”), from Middle Persian hndwk' (Hindūg, “Indian”), from hnd (Hind, “India”), from Old Persian 𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢 (hiⁿdu-, “India”), from Sanskrit सिन्धु (síndhu, “river,

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
adj

Of, or relating to Hinduism, or to Hindus and their culture.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Derived from Classical Persian هِنْدُو (hindū, “Indian, Hindu”), from Middle Persian hndwk' (Hindūg, “Indian”), from hnd (Hind, “India”), from Old Persian 𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢 (hiⁿdu-, “India”), from Sanskrit सिन्धु (síndhu, “river, stream; Indus”), from Proto-Indo-Aryan *síndʰuṣ, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *síndʰuš (“river”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "yesno",
      "args": {
        "1": "",
        "2": "d",
        "3": "D"
      },
      "expansion": "D"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "derived terms",
        "2": "Derived"
      },
      "expansion": "Derived"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fa-cls",
        "3": "هِنْدُو",
        "4": "",
        "5": "Indian, Hindu",
        "lit": "",
        "pos": "",
        "tr": "",
        "ts": "",
        "id": "",
        "sc": "",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "nocat": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Classical Persian هِنْدُو (hindū, “Indian, Hindu”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fa-cls",
        "3": "هِنْدُو",
        "4": "",
        "5": "Indian, Hindu"
      },
      "expansion": "Derived from Classical Persian هِنْدُو (hindū, “Indian, Hindu”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pal",
        "3": "hndwk'",
        "4": "",
        "5": "Indian",
        "tr": "Hindūg"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Persian hndwk' (Hindūg, “Indian”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "peo",
        "3": "𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢𐏁",
        "4": "𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢",
        "5": "India",
        "tr": "hiⁿdu-"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Persian 𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢 (hiⁿdu-, “India”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sa",
        "3": "सिन्धु",
        "4": "",
        "5": "river, stream; Indus",
        "tr": "síndhu"
      },
      "expansion": "Sanskrit सिन्धु (síndhu, “river, stream; Indus”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "inc-pro",
        "3": "*síndʰuṣ"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-Aryan *síndʰuṣ"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "iir-pro",
        "3": "*síndʰuš",
        "4": "",
        "5": "river"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-Iranian *síndʰuš (“river”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "هِنْدُو",
      "هندو#Persian"
    ],
    [
      "Indian",
      "Indian"
    ],
    [
      "hndwk'",
      "hndwk'#Middle_Persian"
    ],
    [
      "hnd",
      "hnd#Middle_Persian"
    ],
    [
      "𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢",
      "𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢𐏁#Old_Persian"
    ],
    [
      "सिन्धु",
      "सिन्धु#Sanskrit"
    ],
    [
      "*síndʰuṣ",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-Aryan/síndʰuṣ"
    ],
    [
      "*síndʰuš",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-Iranian/síndʰuš"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Of, or relating to Hinduism, or to Hindus and their culture."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "d98ae155b477d2e9217ddefc6e7c8b5068f135abcfcfd0668402f7f3add4c21f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d1783ea752e4820a0109c9ec1b335e1030117c692193871fb633312722186534",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 287752
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

A person adhering to the Hindu religion (Hinduism). · Any native inhabitant of Hindustan. · A bunnia (merchant or trader) with a company of soldiers. · A person of Indian religion and race.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Derived from Classical Persian هِنْدُو (hindū, “Indian, Hindu”), from Middle Persian hndwk' (Hindūg, “Indian”), from hnd (Hind, “India”), from Old Persian 𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢 (hiⁿdu-, “India”), from Sanskrit सिन्धु (síndhu, “river, stream; Indus”), from Proto-Indo-Aryan *síndʰuṣ, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *síndʰuš (“river”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "yesno",
      "args": {
        "1": "",
        "2": "d",
        "3": "D"
      },
      "expansion": "D"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "derived terms",
        "2": "Derived"
      },
      "expansion": "Derived"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fa-cls",
        "3": "هِنْدُو",
        "4": "",
        "5": "Indian, Hindu",
        "lit": "",
        "pos": "",
        "tr": "",
        "ts": "",
        "id": "",
        "sc": "",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "nocat": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Classical Persian هِنْدُو (hindū, “Indian, Hindu”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fa-cls",
        "3": "هِنْدُو",
        "4": "",
        "5": "Indian, Hindu"
      },
      "expansion": "Derived from Classical Persian هِنْدُو (hindū, “Indian, Hindu”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pal",
        "3": "hndwk'",
        "4": "",
        "5": "Indian",
        "tr": "Hindūg"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Persian hndwk' (Hindūg, “Indian”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "peo",
        "3": "𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢𐏁",
        "4": "𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢",
        "5": "India",
        "tr": "hiⁿdu-"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Persian 𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢 (hiⁿdu-, “India”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sa",
        "3": "सिन्धु",
        "4": "",
        "5": "river, stream; Indus",
        "tr": "síndhu"
      },
      "expansion": "Sanskrit सिन्धु (síndhu, “river, stream; Indus”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "inc-pro",
        "3": "*síndʰuṣ"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-Aryan *síndʰuṣ"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "iir-pro",
        "3": "*síndʰuš",
        "4": "",
        "5": "river"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-Iranian *síndʰuš (“river”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "هِنْدُو",
      "هندو#Persian"
    ],
    [
      "Indian",
      "Indian"
    ],
    [
      "hndwk'",
      "hndwk'#Middle_Persian"
    ],
    [
      "hnd",
      "hnd#Middle_Persian"
    ],
    [
      "𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢",
      "𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢𐏁#Old_Persian"
    ],
    [
      "सिन्धु",
      "सिन्धु#Sanskrit"
    ],
    [
      "*síndʰuṣ",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-Aryan/síndʰuṣ"
    ],
    [
      "*síndʰuš",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-Iranian/síndʰuš"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Hawaiian",
      "lang_code": "haw",
      "word": "Hinekū",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "word": "ヒンドゥー",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "Hindū"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "word": "ヒンズー",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "Hinzū"
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A person adhering to the Hindu religion (Hinduism).",
        "Any native inhabitant of Hindustan.",
        "A bunnia (merchant or trader) with a company of soldiers.",
        "A person of Indian religion and race."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dated",
        "obsolete"
      ],
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Hindu →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-SGluZHU