Telugu

/ˌtɛləˈgu/

Other forms: Telugus

People who live in certain parts of southern India are called Telugu. The language they speak is also called Telugu.

Telugu, one of six languages designated "classical" by the Indian government, is the official language in two Indian states and is spoken in several others. It dates from at least 1000 BCE, and it's spoken by over 74 million people. Experts have a few different theories about the origin of Telugu. It may stem from a Sanskrit word, or possibly from the proto-Dravidian ten-, or "south," as in "the people who live in the south."

Definitions of Telugu

1. noun

   a member of the people in southeastern India (Andhra Pradesh) who speak the Telugu language
   type of:

   Dravidian

   a member of one of the aboriginal races of India (pushed south by Caucasians and now mixed with them)
2. noun

   a Dravidian language spoken by the Telugu in southeastern India
   type of:

   South-Central Dravidian

   a Dravidian language spoken primarily in south central India