Indian的词源

英文词源

Indian

"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.

中文词源

Indian（印第安人）：哥伦布对美洲土著人的误称

公元1492年，意大利航海家哥伦布为了找到一条通往印度的新航道而在大西洋中向西远航，首次航行至美洲新大陆。哥伦布误以为所到之处为印度，因此将此地的土著居民称作“印度人”（西班牙语indios，英语indians）。后人虽然发现了哥伦布的错误，但是原有称呼已经普及。为了避免与真正的印度人混淆，英语和其他欧洲语言中称印地安人为“西印度人”（Wester Indians），而将真正的印度人称为“东印度人”（Easter Indians）。汉语翻译时则直接把“西印度人”（Wester Indians）翻译成“印第安人”，避免了混淆。

Indian：['ɪndɪən] n.印度人，印第安人，印第安语adj.印度的，印第安人的，印第安语的

该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：Indian 词源，Indian 含义。

Indian：印度人，印第安人

来自波斯语Hindu,河流名，后用于指整个印度。后该词也用来指美洲的土著印第安人，来自16世纪哥伦布初到美洲大陆时误以为到了印度大陆，因此便称当地土著人为印度人，更准确的说法为American Indian.