India

1
[ in-dee-uh ]

noun
  1. Hindi Bha·rat [buh-ruht]. /ˈbʌ rʌt/. Official name Re·pub·lic of In·di·a [ri-puhb-likuhv in-dee-uh] /rɪˈpʌb lɪk əv ˈɪn di ə/ . a republic in South Asia comprising 28 states and 8 union territories: formerly a British colony that gained independence 1947, becoming a parliamentary republic within the Commonwealth of Nations 1950. 1,269,219 square miles (3,287,263 square kilometers). Capital: New Delhi.

Origin of India

1
First recorded before 1000; from Latin, from Greek Indía, equivalent to Ind(ós) “the Indus river” (from Old Persian Hindu, literally, “the river”; cognate with Sanskrit sindhu ) + -ia -ia

Words Nearby India

Other definitions for India (2 of 2)

India2
[ in-dee-uh ]

noun
  1. a word used in communications to represent the letter I.

Origin of India

2
First recorded in 1950–55

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How to use India in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for India

India

/ (ˈɪndɪə) /


noun
  1. a republic in S Asia: history dates from the Indus Valley civilization (3rd millennium bc); came under British supremacy in 1763 and passed to the British Crown in 1858; nationalist movement arose under Gandhi (1869–1948); Indian subcontinent divided into Pakistan (Muslim) and India (Hindu) in 1947; became a republic within the Commonwealth in 1950. It consists chiefly of the Himalayas, rising over 7500 m (25 000 ft) in the extreme north, the Ganges plain in the north, the Thar Desert in the northwest, the Chota Nagpur plateau in the northeast, and the Deccan Plateau in the south. Official and administrative languages: Hindi and English; each state has its own language. Parts of the SE coast suffered badly in the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004. Religion: Hindu majority, Muslim minority. Currency: rupee. Capital: New Delhi. Pop: 1 220 800 359 (2013 est). Area: 3 268 100 sq km (1 261 813 sq miles): Hindi name: Bharat

  2. communications a code word for the letter i

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for India

India

Republic in southern Asia. Its capital is New Delhi, and its largest city is Calcutta.

Notes for India

India is the second most populous country in the world, after China.

Notes for India

British control of India began in 1757 and did not end until the dissolution of the British regime, or Raj, in 1947, when India was divided into India and Pakistan.

Notes for India

Mahatma Gandhi led the movement for Indian independence through passive resistance to British rule. He was killed by a fanatic in 1948.

Notes for India

The country is marked by conflict between the Hindu and Muslim populations and violence between castes.

Notes for India

Despite world disapproval, in 1998 India successfully conducted nuclear bomb tests. Pakistan did the same two weeks later. (See Kashmir.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.