Telugu
Americannoun
plural
Telugus,plural
Telugu-
a Dravidian language spoken mainly in Andhra Pradesh state, SE India.
-
a member of the people speaking this language.
adjective
noun
-
a language of SE India, belonging to the Dravidian family of languages: the state language of Andhra Pradesh
-
a member of the people who speak this language
adjective
Usage
What does Telugu mean? Telugu is a Dravidian language spoken mainly in the state of Andhra Pradesh in southeastern India. Telugu also refers to the speakers of this language. India is a large country located in southern Asia, and Andhra Pradesh is one of its 25 states. The Dravidian family of languages includes many of the languages spoken in Southern India and the country of Sri Lanka, including Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam. According to the 2011 Census of India, there were over 81 million speakers of Telugu. At that time, it was the fourth most popular language in India, with 6. 7 percent of the population speaking it. Telugu is the official language of the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Spoken Telugu has several different regional dialects, which depend on a person’s geographic area, class, and caste. Written Telugu is more uniform and, like other Dravidian languages, is based on the Brahmi script rather than ancient Sanskrit. Telugu is written from left to right, and its alphabet currently consists of 60 symbols, including 16 vowels and 41 consonants.
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.
Police in India have arrested popular Telugu actor Allu Arjun in connection with a crush at the premiere of his latest film earlier this month.
From BBC • Dec. 13, 2024
In Tamil and Telugu, the re-releases have been more star-driven.
From BBC • Aug. 26, 2024
Recent videos show fans of Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi dancing to a hit song from his 2002 hit Indra in cinemas.
From BBC • Aug. 26, 2024
Though some of the members of the B.J.P.’s coalition this year share Mr. Modi’s hard-line vision, both the Telugu Desam Party and Janata Dal-United are moderate, secular parties that have a diverse support base.
From New York Times • Jun. 5, 2024
One side is divided into sixteen squares in which what look like the Telugu numerals nine, ten, eleven and twelve, are engraved.
From Omens and Superstitions of Southern India by Thurston, Edgar
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.
