Dravidian

American  

[druh-vid-ee-uhn] / drəˈvɪd i ən /

noun

1. a family of languages, wholly distinct from Indo-European, spoken mostly in southern India and Sri Lanka and including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and, in Pakistan, Brahui.

2. a member of the aboriginal population occupying much of southern India and parts of Sri Lanka.

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adjective

1. Also Dravidic of or relating to this people or their language.

Dravidian British  

/ drəˈvɪdɪən /

noun

1. a family of languages spoken in S and central India and Sri Lanka, including Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, and Gondi

2. a member of one of the aboriginal races of India, pushed south by the Indo-Europeans and now mixed with them

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adjective

1. denoting, belonging to, or relating to this family of languages or these peoples

Other Word Forms

• pre-Dravidian adjective
• pre-Dravidic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Dravidian

First recorded in 1855–60; from Sanskrit Draviḍ(a) the proper name of an ethnic group + -ian

Example Sentences

Theories have linked it to early Brahmi scripts, Dravidian and Indo-Aryan languages, Sumerian, and even claimed it's just made up of political or religious symbols.

From BBC • Jan. 16, 2025

Some linguists, however, argue that the appearance of Sanskrit was predated by Tamil, a Dravidian language that is still used by almost 85 million native speakers in southern India and Sri Lanka.

From Scientific American • Aug. 24, 2023

Now known as Hampi, that great city marks the pinnacle of Dravidian architecture, with its soaring temple towers and colonnades.

From New York Times • Nov. 17, 2022

Tamil Nadu’s politics are hyperlocal even by Indian standards—it’s essentially a two-party state, with its guiding ideologies based in the historic Dravidian Self-Respect Movement, a source of pride for India’s Tamil population.

From Slate • May 4, 2021

Dravidian, generally regarded as representing the indigenous element.

From Man, Past and Present by Haddon, Alfred Court