Hindu

or Hin·doo

[ hin-doo ]

noun

1. a person, especially of northern India, who adheres to Hinduism.

adjective

1. of or relating to Hindus or Hinduism.

Hindu

/ hɪnˈduː; ˈhɪnduː /

noun

1. a person who adheres to Hinduism
2. an inhabitant or native of Hindustan or India, esp one adhering to Hinduism

adjective

1. relating to Hinduism, Hindus, or India

Other Words From

• an·ti-Hin·du adjective noun
• non-Hin·du noun adjective
• pro-Hin·du adjective noun
• pseu·do-Hin·du adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hindu¹

1655–65; < Persian Hindū Indian (adj., noun), equivalent to Hind ( Hindi ) + -ū adj. suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hindu¹

C17: from Persian Hindū, from Hind India; see Hindi

Example Sentences

In one episode, a young Muslim man wins a neighbourhood cricket match against his Hindu opponents.

From MIT Technology Review

Narendra Modi—is also the figurehead of right-wing Hindu nationalism.

From Time

One of the men forced his way onto the stage and accused the stand-up, who is Muslim, of hurting Hindu sentiments.

From Time

I asked Swami Tattwamayananda, the head of the Vedanta Society of Northern California in San Francisco and one of the world’s leading authorities on Hindu ritual and scripture, how he felt about Americans like me saying namaste.

From No Straight News

The timing of Apple’s direct-to-consumer entry in India comes right before India’s Hindu festival season, which is an especially lucrative time for mobile phone companies.

From Fortune

By which I mean, there are some Jews and the occasional Hindu or Muslim.

From The Daily Beast

Buddhist and Hindu literature is rich with stories of disciples finally learning to surrender in this way.

From The Daily Beast

And while guru literally means “teacher,” in Hindu and Buddhist contexts, it often means much more.

From The Daily Beast

There are Egyptian influences and an imitation Hindu temple.

From The Daily Beast

The attendees throw colored powder around, not unlike the Hindu festival of Holi.

From The Daily Beast

We can do as we like with Hindu and Mussalman so long as we leave their respective religions untouched.

From Project Gutenberg

The Hindu walks with a great deal of poise, in fact, very much like an elephant, but he also has the agility of the panther.

From Project Gutenberg

The highest idea of the Hindu, as of the Buddhist, is to pass out into a sort of painless existence of nothingness.

From Project Gutenberg

In Penloe is seen the interior life of the Hindu combined with the best practical thought of the West.

From Project Gutenberg

The Chinese and Hindu millions who would have starved to death, have been fed, and that's why they're with us to-day.

From Project Gutenberg