"inhabit of India or South Asia," c. 1300 (noun and adjective); applied to the native inhabitants of the Americas from at least 1553, on the mistaken notion that America was the eastern end of Asia. Red Indian, to distinguish them from inhabitants of India, is first attested 1831 (Carlyle) but was not commonly used in North America. More than 500 modern phrases include Indian, most of them U.S. and most impugning honesty or intelligence, such as Indian giver, first attested 1765 in Indian gift:
An Indian gift is a proverbial expression, signifying a present for which an equivalent return is expected. [Thomas Hutchinson, "History of Massachusetts Bay," 1765]
Meaning "one who gives a gift and then asks for it back" first attested 1892.
实用例句
1. Sri Lankans share a common ancestry with their Indian brethren.
斯里兰卡人和他们的印度兄弟有共同的祖先。
来自柯林斯例句
2. There is enormous, acknowledged and untapped potential in the Indian stock markets.
印度的股票市场蕴含着巨大的、公认的、尚未挖掘出来的潜力。
来自柯林斯例句
3. He tensed as the big West Indian gripped his shoulder.
那个大块头西印度群岛土著人抓住他的肩膀时，他浑身紧张起来。
来自柯林斯例句
4. An experienced Indian guide is provided during your stay.
在你逗留期间为你配备了一名有经验的印度导游。
来自柯林斯例句
5. He said he wanted "to establish a rapport with the Indian people"
