Himyaritic or Himjarite.
Name for the characters used in some early inscriptions of S. Arabia in a dialect allied to the Mahari of Abyssinia. Mr. Palgrave, “Central and E. Arabia,” vol ii., p. 240, states that the modern Himyarites, who speak a dialect of modern Arabic, are called the “reds”: “ahmar” in Arabic; but it seems more probable that they are the Hi or Hy-Mahari: “Hy” being a tribal prefix in Africa as in Ireland. Compare the Hi-breasail, the Hy-Many, or O’Kelly people; the Hy-Fiachrach or O’Dowdy people. The use of the same prefix in Africa is proved by the Ki-Suaheli, the Hi or Ki-Kamba, Ki-Sambala; cf. the Heb. ה; ח; which gives the transition from “h” to “ch” or “k”; thus also we may have Ki-Afer for the people of Africa, the original Kaffirs: indeed we have the mature word in Ke-Kuafi, see under U. Hy-mahari would mean “the shore-people.” See [Ekhkili].
Hinantshi or Hina.
African: assigned by Barth to Hamarua.
Hindi or Hinduwi.
The vernacular language of native Hindoos; it is derived from Sanskrit, and closely adhered to by all the Brahmin castes. It was probably the court tongue of Canaug or Kanoj, a chief city of Hindostan when Alexander the Great crossed the Indus and defeated Porus, B.C. 327. The language has many branches or sub-dialects, and is written in the Devanagri, or sacred alphabet used in the Vedas; also in Kyt’hí, a sort of running hand. Ballantyne: “Elements,” London, 1869; “Chrestomathie,” Garcin de Tassy, Paris, 1849.
Hindoo.
Class name for the Indian branch of the Aryan family of languages, derived, according to some, from “Hapta Hendu,” “Seven Rivers,” old name for the Punjaub.
Hindostani or Urdu.
The vernacular tongue of the Indian Moslemim, or Mussulmen; first originated by the Muhammadan invaders, circa A.D. 1004. It is a compound of Arabic and Persian with Sanskrit, called Urdu-zaban, or “camp lingo,” and written in a cursive character, called Taghlik, derived from Arabic; also in uncial letters formed from Sanskrit. N.B.—Hindu-stan means the “land of the Hindoos.” Forbes: “Dicty. H. and Eng.,” 1859; “Grammar,” 1849.