Indië

See also: indie and Indie

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch Indië, from Latin India, from Ancient Greek Ἰνδία (Indía), from Ἰνδός (Indós), from Old Persian 𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢𐏁 (hiⁿdūš), from Proto-Iranian *hínduš, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *síndʰuš (“river”).

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Indië

1. India (a country in South Asia; capital: Nieu-Delhi)
2. the Indies

Derived terms

• Indiër
• Indies

Dutch

Alternative forms

• Indiën (obsolete)
• Indien (obsolete)
• Inje (obsolete, colloquial)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin India, from Ancient Greek Ἰνδία (Indía), from Ἰνδός (Indós), from Old Persian 𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢𐏁 (hiⁿdūš), from Proto-Iranian *hínduš, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *síndʰuš (“river”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪnˌdi.ə/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: In‧di‧e

Proper noun

Indië n

1. (historical) the Indies
   1. the West Indies
   2. the East Indies
      1. (Netherlands, Indonesia, historical, dated, informal) the Dutch East Indies; Indonesia in the context of Dutch colonial rule
         • 1928 May 3, A. Bickes, “Briefwisseling Menno ter Braak - A. Bickes”, in Correspondentie Filmliga‎^[1], Stichting Menno ter Braak, published 2012:

           Weledele Heer,
           Door ons a.s. vertrek naar Indië, zien wij ons, tot onzen grooten spijt, gedwongen, ons lidmaatschap van de Filmliga, voor het volgend seizoen te beëindigen.

           Dear Sir,
           Due to our upcoming departure for the Dutch East Indies, we are forced, to our great regret, to end our membership of the Film League for the next season.

         • 2002 January 25, Peter van Zonneveld, “Altijd is er, hoe dan ook, die tjap. De Indische wereld van F. Springer [There is always, no matter what, that mark. F. Springer's Dutch East Indies world]”, in Indische Letteren‎^[2], page 120:

           En zo blijkt Indië, ondanks ons aanvankelijk voorbehoud, toch in allerlei nuances en op allerlei niveaus haar stempel op zijn werk te hebben gedrukt. Altijd is er, hoe dan ook, die tjap.

           And so, despite our initial reservations, the Dutch East Indies turn out to have left their impression on his work in all kinds of nuances and at all kinds of levels. There is always, no matter what, that mark.

      2. (Netherlands, historical, metonymically, dated, colloquial) the Indonesian War of Independence
         • 2024 August 24, Herman Haverkate, “Na 75 jaar reist Anna uit Oldenzaal naar het verleden van haar vader: ‘Indië heeft hem nooit losgelaten’ [After 75 years, Anna from Oldenzaal travels back into her father's past: ‘The war in Indonesia always held sway over him’]”, in Tubantia‎^[3], retrieved 27 August 2024:

           Voor de zoveelste keer in haar leven opent Anna Weierink het sigarenkistje dat voor haar vader de bijna dagelijkse band was met Indië. Er zitten foto’s in. (...) De beelden zijn onmiskenbaar verbonden met Indië. Groepsfoto’s in het oerwoud of op de boot, begrafenissen, de graven van gestorven kameraden, vrachtwagens op stoffige wegen, landschappen, portretten.

           For the umpteenth time in her life, Anna Weierink opens the cigar box that was her father's almost daily link to the Dutch East Indies. There are photographs inside (...) The images are unmistakably linked to the Indonesian war of independence. Group photos in the jungle or on the boat, funerals, the graves of dead comrades, trucks on dusty roads, landscapes, portraits.

2. (dated) (chiefly historical, proscribed in modern use) India (a region of South Asia, traditionally delimited by the Himalayas and the Indus river; the Indian subcontinent)

   Synonym: India

Usage notes

• In obsolete use Indië, particularly in the forms Indiën, Indien and Inje, was often treated as a plurale tantum that often took the definite article de. Cf. the plural in English Indies, French Indes and several other European languages; cf. German Indien for the use as a neuter singular.

Derived terms

• Achter-Indië
• Indiër
• Indisch
• Nederlands-Indië
• Oost-Indië
• West-Indië
• Voor-Indië

Related terms

• India

Descendants

• Afrikaans: Indië