/in'deuh nee"zheuh, -sheuh, -zee euh, -doh-/ , n.
1. See East Indies (def. 1).
2. Republic of . Formerly, Netherlands East Indies, Dutch East Indies . a republic in the Malay Archipelago consisting of 13,677 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, the S part of Borneo, the W part of New Guinea, the Moluccas, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Bali, and Madura: gained independence from the Netherlands in 1949. 209,774,138; 741,098 sq. mi. (1,919,443 sq. km). Cap.: Jakarta.
[ INDO- + Gk nês ( os ) island + -IA ]