Tamil
Americannoun
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a member of a Dravidian people of southern India and Sri Lanka.
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the Dravidian language of the Tamils, spoken in India principally in Tamil Nadu state and in Sri Lanka on the northern and eastern coasts.
adjective
noun
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a member of a mixed Dravidian and Caucasoid people of S India and Sri Lanka
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the language of this people: the state language of Tamil Nadu, also spoken in Sri Lanka and elsewhere, belonging to the Dravidian family of languages
adjective
Usage
What does Tamil mean? Tamil is the name for a person of a Dravidian culture group that is located primarily in Southern India and northeastern Sri Lanka. Tamil is also the name of the language spoken by Tamils. Tamils, like all Dravidian peoples, are aboriginal to Southern India and Sri Lanka. That is, Dravidian peoples are the earliest known inhabitants of that geographic area. Today, most of the world’s Tamils live in the southeastern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and northern part of the country of Sri Lanka, although many Tamils live around the world.
Other Word Forms
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ilaiyaraaja dominated Tamil film music until the rise of AR Rahman in the early 1990s.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
Instead, the actor chose to infuse her own heritage into the character, who uses Tamil as a way to feel connected to her late father.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
The DMK - long seen as the architect of India's most durable welfare-transfer model - has lost power in Tamil Nadu.
From BBC • May 11, 2026
Voters in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal ousted ruling parties due to economic frustrations over a lack of jobs.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
When I stay silent, my grandmother says, "Or you can say Thatha and Patti, if you prefer the Tamil words."
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
