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Tamil Nadu

American  
[nah-doo] / ˈnɑ du /

noun

  1. a large state in S India: formerly a presidency; boundaries readjusted on a linguistic basis 1956. 50,216 sq. mi. (130,058 sq. km). Chennai.


Tamil Nadu British  
/ ˈtæmɪl nɑːˈduː /

noun

  1. Former name (until 1968): Madras.  a state of SE India, on the Coromandel Coast: reorganized in 1956 and 1960 and made smaller; consists of a coastal plain backed by hills, including the Nilgiri Hills in the west Capital: Chennai (formerly called Madras). Pop: 62 110 839 (2001). Area: 130 058 sq km (50 216 sq miles)

"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

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 temperature read 36C but the radiologist, from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, said it felt hotter.

From Barron's Jun. 30, 2026

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

Born in June 1943 in Pannaipuram, Tamil Nadu, as R Gnanathesikan, Ilaiyaraaja was raised on the folk songs and ballads sung by his father, a cardamom estate supervisor.

From BBC Jun. 6, 2026

It won only one out of 234 seats in Tamil Nadu and three out of 140 in next-door Kerala, both of which have significant numbers of Christians and Muslims.

From The Wall Street Journal May 6, 2026

These are common names in Tamil Nadu, so the coincidence is not so remarkable.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

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