East Indies

East In·dies

W0100700 (ĭn′dēz) Indonesia. The term is sometimes used to refer to all of Southeast Asia. Historically, it referred chiefly to India.

East Indian adj. & n.

East Indies

pl n 1. (Placename) the Malay Archipelago, including or excluding the Philippines 2. (Placename) SE Asia in general

East′ In′dies

n.pl. (esp. formerly) 1. the Malay Archipelago. 2. SE Asia, including India, Indonesia, and the Malay Archipelago. Also called East′ In′dia.East′ In′dian, adj., n.

Thesaurus

Noun

East Indies - a group of islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans between Asia and AustraliaEast India, Malay Archipelagocurry - (East Indian cookery) a pungent dish of vegetables or meats flavored with curry powder and usually eaten with riceSunda Islands - a chain of islands in the western Malay ArchipelagoBorneo, Kalimantan - 3rd largest island in the world; in the western Pacific to the north of Java; largely covered by dense jungle and rain forest; part of the Malay ArchipelagoPacific, Pacific Ocean - the largest ocean in the worldEast Indian - a native or inhabitant of the East IndiesMalay, Malayan - a member of a people inhabiting the northern Malay Peninsula and Malaysia and parts of the western Malay Archipelago

East Indies

East Indies,

name formerly used for the Malay ArchipelagoMalay Archipelago,
great island group of SE Asia, formerly called the East Indies. Lying between the Asian mainland and Australia, and separating the Pacific Ocean from the Indian Ocean, it includes Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and E Malaysia.
..... Click the link for more information. , but also more restrictively for Indonesia and more widely to include SE Asia. It once referred chiefly to India.

East Indies

the term previously used with reference to India and several other countries in South and Southeast Asia. It originated as the antonym of the term “West Indies,” after Europeans traveling east from Europe reached the shores of the Hindustan Peninsula. At that time, Europeans believed the Caribbean islands discovered by Columbus to be India (or the Indies).

For a long time the term “East Indies” continued to be used in connection with the colonial activities of the British East India Company, the Dutch East India Company, the French East India Company, and the India Company, which replaced the French company.

East Indies

East In·dies

East Indies

East′ In′dies

East Indies

East Indies,

East Indies

East Indies

Synonyms for East Indies

noun a group of islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans between Asia and Australia

Synonyms

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