Telugu
Americannoun
plural
Telugus,plural
Telugu-
a Dravidian language spoken mainly in Andhra Pradesh state, SE India.
-
a member of the people speaking this language.
adjective
noun
-
a language of SE India, belonging to the Dravidian family of languages: the state language of Andhra Pradesh
-
a member of the people who speak this language
adjective
Usage
What does Telugu mean? Telugu is a Dravidian language spoken mainly in the state of Andhra Pradesh in southeastern India. Telugu also refers to the speakers of this language. India is a large country located in southern Asia, and Andhra Pradesh is one of its 25 states. The Dravidian family of languages includes many of the languages spoken in Southern India and the country of Sri Lanka, including Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam. According to the 2011 Census of India, there were over 81 million speakers of Telugu. At that time, it was the fourth most popular language in India, with 6. 7 percent of the population speaking it. Telugu is the official language of the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Spoken Telugu has several different regional dialects, which depend on a person’s geographic area, class, and caste. Written Telugu is more uniform and, like other Dravidian languages, is based on the Brahmi script rather than ancient Sanskrit. Telugu is written from left to right, and its alphabet currently consists of 60 symbols, including 16 vowels and 41 consonants.
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.
Hindi, Tamil and Telugu speakers grew in number, and Indian-American communities shifted from New York and Michigan to larger clusters in California and New Jersey.
From BBC • Jan. 8, 2025
In Tamil and Telugu, the re-releases have been more star-driven.
From BBC • Aug. 26, 2024
Though some of the members of the B.J.P.’s coalition this year share Mr. Modi’s hard-line vision, both the Telugu Desam Party and Janata Dal-United are moderate, secular parties that have a diverse support base.
From New York Times • Jun. 5, 2024
Even among Indian American spellers, a particular subgroup is overrepresented: families from the southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where Telugu is the primary language.
From Seattle Times • May 25, 2024
On the way, a company of Telugu athletes entertained us at intervals by their feats of ground and lofty tumbling.
From A Tour of the Missions Observations and Conclusions by Strong, Augustus Hopkins
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.
