Indiannessn.
/ˈɪndɪənnəs/, U.S. /ˈɪndiə(n)nəs/ 1. The fact, quality, or state of being American Indian.
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1893 C. F. Lummis Land of Poco Tiempo vii. 163 The Indian-ness of an Indian—his keenness, courage, and cunning—seem to be in the inverse ratio of his larder.
1934 A. Huxley Beyond Mexique Bay 192 Don Ernesto's compadre..turned out to be very nearly..a pure Momosteco Indian... He had had..enough..education to make him aware of his own Indianness.
1970 New Yorker 18 Apr. 103 After mastering the meaning of Negritude and machismo they would have to grapple with the meaning of Indianness.
2004 I. Silverblatt Mod. Inquisitions 190 Andeans' understanding of European rule, including its eventual expression as a sense of common Indianness, was colored by memories of the Inca past.
2. The fact, quality, or state of being Indian (Indian adj. 1).
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Asia > native or inhabitant of India > [noun] > quality or character
Indianness1909
1909 A. K. Coomaraswamy Ess. National Idealism vi. 82 There can be traced in these works [of Tagore] both European and Japanese influence; but their significance lies in what is after all their essential Indianness.
1963 B. P. Lamb India xviii. 335 This enthusiastic return to uninhibited Indianness is leading to a stronger reassertion of many traditional..values and modes of behavior.
1971 Illustr. Weekly India 11 Apr. 6/2 That non-Hindu Indians abroad tend to shake off their Indianness.
2004 B. Korte & C. Sternberg Bidding for Mainstream? v. 163 Bhaji is not about any specific kind of ‘Indianness’ but about the variety of lives..of women of Asian descent in Britain.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2009; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1893