Ladakhi

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A person born or living in Ladakh, the high-altitude region of northern India ; the Tibetic language spoken by the people of that region ; belonging to or characteristic of the Ladakh region and its culture
2. A native of the Himalayan territory of Ladakh ; the Tibetan-related tongue used by people in that area ; of or connected with Ladakh and what comes from it
3. Someone from the Indian region of Ladakh in the Himalayas ; the Tibetic speech of the Ladakh population ; describing things associated with the Ladakh region or its inhabitants

Etymology: Ladakhi is a demonym: a person from Ladakh, the high-altitude region in the far north of India, or the language spoken there. The word is built from the place name Ladakh with the suffix "-i", the same ending that turns Pakistan into Pakistani or Iran into Iranian. Ladakh itself comes from Tibetan roots meaning roughly "land of high passes," a fitting name for a region bounded by some of the world's highest mountain ranges. Because the suffix is so routine, the word is essentially a transparent formation, and its meaning follows directly from the place it names. It is used both for people born or living in Ladakh and as an adjective for things associated with the region, such as its cuisine, culture, or dialect.