Etymologically
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indie

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 05:04. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɪn.di/[1]

Etymology

It is a colloquial shortening and alteration of independent.[2][3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

An independent film producer or production company: 1928.[4][2][3]

Semantic evolution

It was used of independent theatres from 1942,[2] and of independent record companies and musicians from 1945.[4] By 1984 it was used of a type of pop music issued by such labels.[2] An adjective indie, “of the Indies”, existed by the 1620s and is a separate formation.[2]

Timeline

  • 1928 – an independent film producer.[4][2]
  • 1942 – independent theatres.[2]
  • 1945 – an independent record company.[4]
  • 1984 – indie music.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. (informal) An independent film or record company.
  2. Music or films produced by such companies, or the style associated with them.

Adjective

  1. Of or produced by independent companies: an indie band.

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press