Tamil
Americannoun
-
Tamils,
plural
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Tamil
plural
-
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
-
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:
Activists say that because the war with the Tamil rebels was ongoing, the then government didn't pursue the investigation and did not explain why.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Sivaranjani Muthunathan was travelling in Nepal by bus with 56 others from India's southern state of Tamil Nadu.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
Vikram, an award-winning actor from the southern state of Tamil Nadu, was seen hugging and playing with a lar gibbon in a now-deleted video posted on Instagram on Monday.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
His public relations officer, Yuvaraj, told BBC Tamil that the media would be informed if the actor issued a statement.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
When I stay silent, my grandmother says, "Or you can say Thatha and Patti, if you prefer the Tamil words."
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
It also left about 23,000 – mostly Tamils – missing.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
The status of Sri Lankan Tamils is an emotive subject in the state, with different political parties promising to help resolve their citizenship concerns.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2025
Also, "what these digs testify is to the existence of a distinctly sophisticated style of civilisation," notes Nirmala Lakshman, author of The Tamils - A Portrait of a Community.
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2025
Tamils have described their time on the island as like living in "hell".
From BBC ● Dec. 16, 2024
The Moormen and Tamils furnish good masons and builders.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 7 "Cerargyrite" to "Charing Cross" by Various
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