Amerindian

noun

Am·​er·​in·​di·​an ˌa-mə-ˈrin-dē-ən How to pronounce Amerindian (audio)
: american indian
Amerind
ˈa-mə-ˌrind How to pronounce Amerindian (audio)
noun or adjective
Amerindian adjective

Word History

Etymology

American + Indian

First Known Use

circa 1898, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Amerindian was circa 1898

Dictionary Entries Near Amerindian

AmerInd

Amerindian

amerism

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Amerindian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Amerindian. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

Amerindian

noun
Am·​er·​in·​di·​an ˌam-ə-ˈrin-dē-ən How to pronounce Amerindian (audio)
variants also Amerind
ˈa-mə-ˌrind
: american indian
Amerindian adjective
also Amerind

More from Merriam-Webster on Amerindian

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Amerindian

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

More Words with Remarkable Origins

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cassowary positioning its body to the left standing on a patch of grass before two trees and the ocean in the background
Name That Animal MegaQuiz A creature feature for fans of fauna