'Amerindian' originates from English, specifically as a blend of 'American' and 'Indian', where 'American' referred to the Americas and 'Indian' (from Columbus's usage) referred to the peoples encountered there.

'Amerindian' emerged in the late 19th to early 20th century as a blended formation (and is mirrored by French 'Amérindien'), and was adopted into English usage to denote peoples of the Americas.

Initially it meant 'relating to American Indians' broadly; over time it came to be used for the indigenous peoples of the entire American continents and, in contemporary usage, is sometimes regarded as outdated or less precise than 'Indigenous peoples of the Americas'.