Crossword Dictionary
desi
Desi is a word used to describe the people, cultures, and products of the Indian subcontinent and their diaspora, derived from Sanskrit देश (deśá), meaning "land, country". Desi traces its origin specifically to the people of the countries India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
The ethnonym belongs in the endonymic category (i.e., it is a self-appellation). Desi is borrowed from the Hindustani desÄ« (देसी, دیسی) 'national', ultimately from Sanskrit deśīya, derived from deÅ›a (देश) 'region, province, country'. The first known usage of the Sanskrit word is found in the Natya Shastra (~200 BCE), where it defines the regional varieties of folk performing arts, as opposed to the classical, pan-Indian margi. Thus, svadeÅ›a (Sanskrit: सà¥à¤µà¤¦à¥‡à¤¶) refers to one's own country or homeland, while paradeÅ›a (Sanskrit: परदेश) refers to another's country or a foreign land.