Indian rice

American  

noun

1. the wild rice plant.

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Indian rice British  

noun

1. an annual erect aquatic North American grass, Zizania aquatica, with edible purplish-black grain

2. the grain of this plant

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Etymology

Origin of Indian rice

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

The festivities included a city parade, where one Dena sailor, speaking to an independent journalist, Samson Sagar, marveled at the flavor of biryani, an Indian rice dish he had sampled.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

The dishes at a community center potluck for Indian expatriates near Washington, D.C., ranged from chana masala, a popular northern Indian chickpea curry, to idli, a southern Indian rice cake.

From New York Times • May 30, 2024

Shoppers looking for their favorite type of Indian rice might be surprised to see empty shelves, after a halt in exports last week left consumers across the globe scrambling to stockpile the Indian staple.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 28, 2023

This is what often passes for the beloved Indian rice dish at restaurants too pressed for time to make the real thing.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2016

All Indian rice is classed, in commercial language, into the three descriptions of table rice, white rice, and cargo rice.

From The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdom Considered in Their Various Uses to Man and in Their Relation to the Arts and Manufactures; Forming a Practical Treatise & Handbook of Reference for the Colonist, Manufacturer, Merchant, and Consumer, on the Cultivation, Preparation for Shipment, and Commercial Value, &c. of the Various Substances Obtained From Trees and Plants, Entering into the Husbandry of Tropical and Sub-tropical Regions, &c. by Simmonds, P. L.