ENGLISH
REFERENCE

hindu

n. countable
B1 Intermediate US //ˈhɪnˌdu// hin·du Archaic

n. a person who follows Hinduism, which is one of the world's oldest and largest religions. Most Hindus live in India and believe in a cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

n. an adherent of Hinduism, a major religious and cultural tradition of South Asia. Often refers to someone who accepts the authority of the Vedas and follows the social and religious customs associated with the faith.


SIMPLE

My neighbor is a Hindu and celebrates Diwali every year.

CONTEXTUAL

The local community center hosted a dinner where Hindus and people of other faiths shared a meal.

COMPLEX

Scholars often note that being a Hindu involves a diverse range of philosophical beliefs and ritual practices rather than adherence to a single, centralized doctrine.

Synonyms
Origin

Derived from Classical Persian هِنْدُو (hindū, “Indian, Hindu”), from Middle Persian hndwk' (Hindūg, “Indian”), from hnd (Hind, “India”), from Old Persian 𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢 (hiⁿdu-, “India”), from Sanskrit सिन्धु (síndhu, “river, stream; Indus”), from Proto-Indo-Aryan síndʰuṣ, from Proto-Indo-Iranian síndʰuš (“river”).

Usage

When used as a noun or adjective, it must always be capitalized.

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