Hindustani

or Hin·doo·sta·ni

[ hin-doo-stah-nee, -stan-ee ]

noun
  1. a standard language and lingua franca of northern India based on a dialect of Western Hindi spoken around Delhi. Abbreviation: Hind: Compare Hindi (def. 2), Urdu.

adjective
  1. of or relating to Hindustan, its people, or their languages.

Origin of Hindustani

1
First recorded in 1780–90; Hindustan + a suffix indicating relationship or origin
  • Also Hin·do·sta·ni [hin-doh-stah-nee, -stan-ee] /ˌhɪn doʊˈstɑ ni, -ˈstæn i/ .

Words Nearby Hindustani

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Hindustani in a sentence

  • A parchment in Hindustani, given jestingly or ironically by a humorous old chap in orders and white linen and rhinoceros sandals.

    The Adventures of Kathlyn | Harold MacGrath
  • "I salute you," said our old guide at the Kutab Minar, speaking in his native Hindustani, which my friend interpreted for me.

  • As they approached, I knowing they could not get to any place other than my own, called out in Hindustani, 'Quon hai?'

    Animal Ghosts | Elliott O'Donnell
  • He also plunged into Hindustani, and wrote grammars and books of devotion in those languages.

    The Jesuits, 1534-1921 | Thomas J. Campbell
  • Nicholson, however, speaking in Hindustani, said: 'There is no possible excuse for such an act of gross impertinence.

    Forty-one years in India | Frederick Sleigh Roberts

British Dictionary definitions for Hindustani

Hindustani

Hindoostani Hindostani (ˌhɪndəʊˈstɑːnɪ)

/ (ˌhɪndʊˈstɑːnɪ) /


noun
  1. the dialect of Hindi spoken in Delhi: used as a lingua franca throughout India

  2. a group of languages or dialects consisting of all spoken forms of Hindi and Urdu considered together

adjective
  1. of or relating to these languages or Hindustan

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