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
Noun Inflected 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.
See Examples For:
The 50-year-old CEO is US-based, but hires workers from Tamil Nadu, where he grew up, one of India's international technology hubs.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
"Who else will give you 250 rupees an hour just for doing housework?" said Sriramyachandra from her kitchen in Chennai in southern India's Tamil Nadu state.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
He also composed albums based on ancient Tamil literature and devotional works, including Thiruvasagam.
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
"I—I'm so sorry. Maybe they speak both? After all, you and your mother speak Tamil and Kannada, right?"
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
It was no coincidence that, under the British Raj in the 19th Century, Tamils made up the largest chunk of Indian administrators and workers in Southeast Asia.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2025
While guards watched and military jets occasionally roared overhead, Shanthi and the other Tamils approached British forces on the island with a letter asking to be sent to a safe country.
From BBC ● Dec. 7, 2024
The BBC gained unprecedented access earlier this year to Diego Garcia and the migrant camp there, where the Tamils were housed in groups in military tents, some of which had leaks and rats nesting inside.
From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2024
The BBC was recently granted unprecedented access to Diego Garcia to attend a court hearing, which is set to determine whether the Tamils had been unlawfully detained.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2024
"My Tamils," he explained, with an indolent smile.
From Caravans By Night A Romance of India by Hervey, Harry
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.
