a major dialect of Western Hindi, used as a lingua franca throughout N India
Origin:
Hindi Hindūstānī, lit., dweller in northern India, Indian < Pers Hindūstān, lit., country of the Hindus < Hindū (see Hindu) + stān, a place, country
adjective
of Hindustan or its people, language, or culture
See Hindustani in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
A group of Indic dialects including the spoken form of Hindi-Urdu that function as a lingua franca throughout much of northern and central India.
adjective
Of or relating to Hindustan, its people, or the Hindustani language.