Dravidian

[ druh-vid-ee-uh n ]
/ drəˈvɪd i ən /

noun

a family of languages, wholly distinct from Indo-European, spoken mostly in southern India and Sri Lanka and including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and, in Pakistan, Brahui.
a member of the aboriginal population occupying much of southern India and parts of Sri Lanka.

adjective

Also Dra·vid·ic. of or relating to this people or their language.

Origin of Dravidian

1855–60; < Sanskrit Draviḍ(a) ethnonym + -ian

OTHER WORDS FROM Dravidian

pre-Dra·vid·i·an, adjective pre-Dra·vid·ic, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for dravidian

British Dictionary definitions for dravidian

Dravidian
/ (drəˈvɪdɪən) /

noun

a family of languages spoken in S and central India and Sri Lanka, including Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, and Gondi
a member of one of the aboriginal races of India, pushed south by the Indo-Europeans and now mixed with them

adjective

denoting, belonging to, or relating to this family of languages or these peoples