ENGLISH
REFERENCE

desi

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈdɛzi// de·si

adj. describing people, food, or culture from South Asian countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. It is a friendly way to talk about things that feel like home for people from that region.

adj. relating to the people, culture, and products of the South Asian subcontinent and its diaspora. Often used as a self-referential term of cultural identity; informal in register.


SIMPLE

We went to a great desi restaurant for dinner.

CONTEXTUAL

The festival featured a mix of traditional desi music and modern pop from the local community.

COMPLEX

The film explores the unique challenges faced by the second-generation desi community as they navigate the intersection of their heritage and their current lives.

Origin

Borrowed from Hindustani دیسی (desī) / देसी (desī).

Usage

Often used attributively before a noun; can also function as a noun to refer to a person of South Asian descent.

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