Adjacent Words

Sinhalese definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: of or relating to the Sinhalese languages; "the Sinhalese versions of the Ramayana" [syn: Sinhala, Singhalese, Sinhalese]
2: of or relating to the Sinhalese people; "Sinhalese rebels fighting the Tamils" [syn: Singhalese, Sinhalese] n
1: a native or inhabitant of Sri Lanka [syn: Sinhalese, Singhalese]
2: the Indic language spoken by the people of Sri Lanka [syn: Sinhalese, Singhalese, Sinhala]

Merriam Webster's

or Singhalese noun (plural Sinhalese or Singhalese) Date: 1598 1. a member of a people that inhabit Sri Lanka and form a major part of its population 2. the Indo-Aryan language of the Sinhalese people • Sinhalese or Singhalese adjective

Britannica Concise

Largest ethnic group of Sri Lanka. Their ancestors are believed to have come from N India. Most Sinhalese are agriculturalists and most adhere to Theravada Buddhism. Like other peoples of Sri Lanka, the Sinhalese have a caste society with a complex structure based largely on occupation. Today the Sinhalese number over 12 million.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & adj. (also Singhalese) --n. (pl. same) 1 a member of a people originally from N. India and now forming the majority of the population of Sri Lanka. 2 an Indic language spoken by this people. --adj. of or relating to this people or language. Etymology: Skr. sinhalam Sri Lanka (Ceylon) + -ESE