Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🗣️ A language family 👥 An ethnic group 🌏 A South Indian group
Dravidian

Dravidian

8.4
A person from groups native to South India and Sri Lanka, or a language such a person speaks like Tamil
  • proper noun
  • /drəˈvɪdiən/
translation icon : dravidiano
  • In southern India, much was made of the racial distinction between Aryans (Brahmins) and Dravidians (Non-Brahmins), which led to the formation of Dravidian parties that continue to dominate politics in Tamil Nadu even today.

Examples

  • The printed narrative accompanying the photograph is entitled "The Dravidians."

    Academic text (2005)

  • The new documentary explores the lives and traditions of the Dravidian people in Tamil Nadu.

  • The Dravidians have a rich history and vibrant culture that influence the arts in South India.

  • In many regions of South India, the term Dravidian is used to refer to the local population.

Synonyms

Dravidian language
vsDravidian
9.9

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

also refers to a person from those language communities
Tamil language
vsDravidian
4.0

A language spoken by Tamil people in southern India and Sri Lanka

means the broader class or a person rather than a single language
Tamil
vsDravidian
4.9

A person whose family comes from Tamil Nadu in India or from Sri Lanka

also can mean the related language instead of an individual person
South-Central Dravidian
vsDravidian
  • Specialized
9.9

A Dravidian language that people speak in south-central India

is the family term or a person rather than this specific branch
Central Dravidian language
vsDravidian
  • Indian
9.9

A Dravidian language spoken in central India, for example Gondi

also covers people and broader family beyond central grouping
Toda
vsDravidian
  • Specialized
9.9

The language spoken by the Toda people in southern India

is the wider family term or a person rather than one community language
Paliyan
vsDravidian
9.9

A language of southern India spoken by the Paliyan people

refers to the family or a person rather than this small language
Kurumba
vsDravidian
9.9

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

is the broader family term covering many communities across regions including Sri Lanka

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 main

Morphology

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

Formed with the productive suffix '-ian' attached to an ethnonym; suffix meaning is clear but the base is a specific name.

Etymology

Dravidian as a proper name goes back to Sanskrit dravida, 'southern', and so it refers to the peoples and the languages of South India and Sri Lanka.