Hindi

[hin-dee]

noun

1. the most widely spoken of the modern Indic vernaculars, especially its best-known variety, Western Hindi.

2. a literary language derived from Hindustani, used by Hindus.

Hindi

/ ˈhɪndɪ /

noun

1. a language or group of dialects of N central India. It belongs to the Indic branch of the Indo-European family and is closely related to Urdu See also Hindustani

2. a formal literary dialect of this language, the official language of India, usually written in Nagari script

3. a person whose native language is Hindi

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hindi¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; from Hindi, Urdu, equivalent to Persian Hind, Hindu (compare Sanskrit Sindhu “river,” specifically the Indus river, with the extended sense “region of the Indus; Sind”) + -ī a suffix indicating relationship or origin; replacing Hinduee, from Persian Hinduī; Sind

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hindi¹

C18: from Hindi hindī, from Hind India, from Old Persian Hindu the river Indus

Example Sentences

Voters can choose to get election information in English, Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Tagalog, Thai or Vietnamese by calling the phone numbers listed here or by using these online options to get help.

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An Indian Express report said an inquiry was ordered, but the district's police chief and top civil official did not respond to BBC Hindi on its outcome.

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It made him wonder how his generation had slowly drifted away from their mother tongue, as other languages like English, Urdu and Hindi became more widespread.

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"There's trouble back home, so I must return. My parents are there - the situation is grave," he told BBC Hindi.

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On Sapphire - the album's best song - he enlists Indian superstar Arjit Singh for a duet, trading vocals in a mixture of English, Hindi and Punjabi over a lilting beat.

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