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🗣️ A language family 👥 An ethnic group 🌏 A South Indian group
Dravidian

Dravidian

8.5
A person from the native peoples of southern India who speaks languages like Tamil or Telugu
  • noun
  • /drəˈvɪdiən/
translation icon : dravidiano
  • Several major languages spoken by Dravidians include Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.

Examples

  • Many Dravidians continue to preserve their cultural traditions in southern India.

  • The migration patterns of the Dravidians are studied by anthropologists.

  • The Dravidian culture is rich in traditions and history.

  • Many Dravidians celebrate their heritage through festivals.

  • Many Dravidians continue to preserve their cultural traditions in southern India.

  • Several major languages spoken by Dravidians include Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.

  • Many Dravidians celebrate their heritage through festivals.

Synonyms

Indian
vsDravidian
929 1.0

A person from India

is focused on indigenous ethnic membership in southern regions rather than general nationality
Kurumba
vsDravidian
9.9

A person from a native group in southern India or the language they speak

is any member of indigenous southern Indian groups who traditionally speak these languages
Savara
vsDravidian
9.9

A person from a tribal community in southeast India known as Savara

is any member of southern indigenous groups who traditionally speak these languages

Compounds

Central Dravidian
  • Indian
9.9

A group of Dravidian languages spoken in central India

Central Dravidian language
  • Indian
9.9

A Dravidian language spoken in central India, for example Gondi

Dravidian language
9.9

A family of languages like Tamil and Telugu spoken in southern India and Sri Lanka

North Dravidian
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of Dravidian languages spoken in eastern India, like Kurukh and Malto

North Dravidian language
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of related languages spoken in eastern India like Kurukh and Malto

South Dravidian
  • Specialized
9.5

A group of Dravidian languages spoken in southern India like Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Tulu

South Dravidian language
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of languages spoken in southern India, like Tamil or Kannada

South-Central Dravidian
  • Specialized
9.9

A Dravidian language that people speak in south-central India

Surface Forms

Dravidian singular
Dravidians plural

Morphology

Dravidian = Dravid (semi-transparent) = Dravid + ian

The morphological formation is clear (base + -ian), but understanding relies on knowledge of the ethnonym 'Dravid'.

Etymology

Dravidian (a person) comes from the old word dravida meaning 'southern', so a Dravidian is someone from the south of India who traditionally speaks one of those southern languages.