East Indies

proper noun

Southeast Asia, especially Island Southeast Asia or Indonesia, but also including India, Indochina, Malaya and the Malay Archipelago, from the Philippines to Indonesia.

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Meanings

East Indies1

proper nounEast Indies pl (plural only)

alternative East-Indies

  1. pluralplural onlySoutheast Asia, especially Island Southeast Asia or Indonesia, but also including India, Indochina, Malaya and the Malay Archipelago, from the Philippines to Indonesia.

East Indies2

noun

alternative East-Indies

  1. pluralplural of East Indie

Origin

From east + Indies, a qualification added to distinguish the original lands and islands of "India" (inclusive of areas from Subsaharan Africa to Indonesia and Japan) from the "West Indies".

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan Índies Orientals
  • Índies OrientalsSoutheast Asia
Chinese Mandarin 東印度 /东印度
  • 東印度 /东印度 (Dōngyìndù)Southeast Asia
Danish Ostindien
  • OstindienSoutheast Asia
Dutch Oost-Indië
  • Oost-IndiëSoutheast Asia
French Indes orientales
  • Indes orientalesSoutheast Asia
German Ostindien
  • OstindienSoutheast Asia
Indonesian Hindia Timur
  • Hindia TimurSoutheast Asia
Irish Na hIndiacha Thoir
  • Na hIndiacha ThoirSoutheast Asia
Italian Indie Orientali
  • Indie OrientaliSoutheast Asia
Latin India Orientalis
  • India OrientalisSoutheast Asia
Polish Indie Wschodnie
  • Indie WschodnieSoutheast Asia
Portuguese Índias Orientais
  • Índias OrientaisSoutheast Asia
Romanian Indiile Orientale
  • Indiile OrientaleSoutheast Asia
Russian Ост-И́ндия
  • Ост-И́ндия (Ost-Índija)Southeast Asia
Spanish Indias Orientales
  • Indias OrientalesSoutheast Asia
Swedish Ostindien
  • OstindienSoutheast Asia
Welsh yr India Ddwyreiniol
  • yr India DdwyreiniolSoutheast Asia
Cite this entry
APA

East Indies. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/East%20Indies

MLA

“East Indies.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/East%20Indies. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “East Indies,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/East%20Indies.

Source: East Indies on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.