East Indies

American  

[eest in-deez] / ˈist ˈɪn diz /

plural noun

1. Also called the Indies.  SE Asia, including East Timor, India, Indonesia, and the Malay Archipelago.

2. the Malay Archipelago.

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East Indies British  

plural noun

1. the Malay Archipelago, including or excluding the Philippines

2. SE Asia in general

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Other Word Forms

• East Indian adjective
• pseudo-East Indian adjective

Example Sentences

“Well, Mr. Bowditch,” he growled, “what do you think of the Dutch East Indies in general and Sunda Strait in particular?”

From Literature

OPPOSITE: An image of one of the “curiosity cabinets” Maria visited in Amsterdam, belonging to the Dutch East Indies merchant Livinus Vincent.

From Literature

To work the colonists’ farms, slaves were soon imported from different corners of the Dutch empire, from West Africa, Madagascar, and the East Indies.

From Literature

He told me that after the war he wanted to go to the Dutch East Indies and live on a rubber plantation.

From Literature

He also did not anticipate running into a landmass before he reached the East Indies.

From Literature