Английский Этимологический словарь - india

- O.E., ult. from Gk. India "region of the Indus River," later used of the region beyond it, from Indos "Indus River," from O.Pers. Hindu, the name for the province of Sind, from Skt. sindhu "river." Indian applied to the native inhabitants of the Americas from at least 1602, on the mistaken notion that America was the eastern end of Asia. More than 500 modern phrases include Indian, most of them U.S. and most impugning honesty or intelligence. Indian summer first recorded 1798, the Amer.Eng. version of British All-Hallows summer, Fr. йtй de la Saint-Martin (feast day Nov. 11), etc. Also colloquial was St. Luke's summer (or little summer), period of warm weather occurring about St. Luke's day (Oct. 18).