Hindu

American  

[hin-doo] / ˈhɪn du /

Or Hindoo

noun

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

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adjective

1. of or relating to Hindus or Hinduism.

Hindu British  

/ hɪnˈduː, ˈhɪnduː /

noun

1. a person who adheres to Hinduism

2. an inhabitant or native of Hindustan or India, esp one adhering to Hinduism

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adjective

1. relating to Hinduism, Hindus, or India

Other Word Forms

• anti-Hindu adjective
• non-Hindu noun
• pro-Hindu adjective
• pseudo-Hindu adjective

Etymology

Origin of Hindu

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

Compare meaning

How does hindu compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Hindi vs. Hindu

Example Sentences

At night she read Hindu religious texts with the youngest officer, who asked her to send him passages she found especially moving.

From The Wall Street Journal

Khan hit back in a newspaper interview, saying that Trafalgar Square had hosted public events for Christians, Hindus and Sikhs.

From BBC

Thousands of Hindu pilgrims visit every year from India, through an open border and Delhi has had an outsized influence on Nepal's political landscape for decades.

From BBC

Mumbai has been celebrating the Hindu festival of Holi this week.

From BBC

In the background, the Indian independence movement gathered pace, as did the rift between the country’s Hindu and Muslim populations.

From The Wall Street Journal