India

¹ American  

[in-dee-uh] / ˈɪn di ə /

noun

1. Official Name Republic of India.  Hindi Bharat.  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). New Delhi.

2. Indian subcontinent.

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India ² American  

[in-dee-uh] / ˈɪn di ə /

noun

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

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India British  

/ ˈɪndɪə /

noun

1. Hindi name: Bharat.  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)

2. communications a code word for the letter i

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India Cultural  

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

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Discover More

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

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

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

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.

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

Etymology

Origin of India¹

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

Origin of India²

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

India faces challenging heatwaves each year, but few places endure conditions as searing as the country's western desert salt pans, where workers rely on simple techniques to survive almost unbearable temperatures.

From Barron's • May 10, 2026

India has no fixed legal temperature at which work must stop.

From Barron's • May 10, 2026

Much of Crunchyroll’s recent growth has come in emerging markets like India and Brazil where the service costs as little as $1 monthly, compared with $10 to $18 in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

With a new exhibition on view, photographer Ken Karagozian and author India Mandelkern discuss their book, “Wilshire Subway,” which documents the decades-long ideation and execution of L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

How long would it take the doctor to caravan to India, and what did he do in the heat of the day, as the camels lay on the ground resting?

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri