Indian

Indian, meaning ‘native of America before the arrival of Europeans,’ is objected to by many who now favor Native American. There are others (including many members of these ethnic groups), however, who see nothing wrong with Indian or American Indian, which are long-established terms, although the preference where possible is to refer to specific peoples, as Apache, Delaware, and so on. The terms Amerind and Amerindian, once proposed as alternatives to Indian, are used in linguistics and anthropology, but have never gained widespread use. Newer alternatives, not widely used or established, include First Nation (especially in Canada) and the more generic aboriginal peoples. It should be noted that Indian is held by many not to include some American groups—for example, Aleuts and Eskimos. A further consideration is that Indian also (and in some contexts, primarily) refers to inhabitants of India or their descendants, who may be referred to as ‘Asian Indians’ to prevent misunderstanding. See also American Indian (usage).