American Indian

noun

Indian (def. 1).
Amerind (def. 2). Abbreviation: AmerInd

Origin of American Indian

First recorded in 1725–35

usage note For American Indian

See Indian.

Words Nearby American Indian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use American Indian in a sentence

I mean it's profiling, but then I've got kicked out of three bars for being an American Indian.
Jim Harrison Can Make You a Better Animal | John Avlon | September 23, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
Brando's later, somewhat disoriented, support for the militant American Indian Movement was the last straw for his critics.
Where's Health Care's Star Power? | Lee Siegel | October 2, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
On another occasion we find an American Indian preaching in the pulpit—a novelty in 1767.
East Anglia | J. Ewing Ritchie
The North American Indian appears to have been, when first discovered, wholly without any distinct religious faith.
Ancient Faiths And Modern | Thomas Inman
It is the period of the assumption of the three-pointed blanket, the true toga of the North American Indian.
The Myths of the North American Indians | Lewis Spence

From this place has the North American Indian ever obtained material for his pipe, and from no other spot.
The Myths of the North American Indians | Lewis Spence
It cannot be said that the religious sense was exceptionally strong in the mind of the North American Indian.
The Myths of the North American Indians | Lewis Spence

British Dictionary definitions for American Indian

American Indian

noun

Also called: Native American a member of any of the indigenous peoples of North, Central, or South America, esp those of North America

adjective

Also: Amerindian of or relating to any of these peoples, their languages, or their cultures

usage For American Indian

This term is still acceptable and is widely used by American Indians themselves. The most accepted phrase in general use nowadays is Native American

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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