Indian

Indian, in′di-an, adj. belonging to the Indies, East or West, or to the aborigines of America.—n. a native of the Indies: a European who lives or has lived in India: an aboriginal of America.—ns. In′diaman, a large ship employed in trade, with India; In′dia-rub′ber, an elastic gummy substance, the inspissated juice of various tropical plants, extensively used in the arts: caoutchouc.—adj. In′dic, originating or existing in India, a term comprehensively applied to all the Aryan languages of India.—Indian berry, a climbing Indian shrub, its fruit Cocculus Indicus; Indian club, a bottle-shaped block of wood, swung in various motions by the arms with the view of developing the muscles of these and of the chest, &c.; Indian corn, maize, so called because brought from the West Indies; Indian cress, an ornamental garden shrub from Peru, with orange flowers; Indian file (see File); Indian fire, a pyrotechnic composition, used as a signal-light, consisting of sulphur, realgar, and nitre; Indian red (see Red); Indian summer, in America, a period of warm, dry, calm weather in late autumn, with hazy atmosphere.—India Docks, extensive docks in London for the accommodation of vessels engaged in the West and East India trade; India ink (see Ink); India Office, a government office in London, where are managed the affairs of the Indian government; India paper, a thin yellowish printing-paper made in China and Japan from vegetable fibre, and used in taking the finest proofs from engraved plates—hence called India proofs; India shawl, a Cashmere shawl.—East India Company, a great chartered company formed for trading with India and the East Indies, more especially applied to the English Company, incorporated in 1600 and abolished in 1858; East Indian, an inhabitant or a native of the East Indies; Red Indian, one of the aborigines of America, so called from the colour of the skin—(coll.) in U.S. Injen, Injun; West Indian, a native or an inhabitant of the West Indies. [L. India—Indus (Gr. Indos), the Indus (Pers. Hind. Hind; Zend Hindu)—Sans. sindhu, a river.]