indigenous
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English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Borrowed from Late Latin indigenus (“native, born in a country”), from indi- (indu-), an old derivative of in (“in”), gen- the root of gignō (“give birth to”), and English -ous. Compare indigene, Ancient Greek ἐνδογενής (endogenḗs, “born in the house”), and the separately formed endogenous.
Pronunciation[edit]
Adjective[edit]
indigenous (not comparable)
- (chiefly of living things) Born or engendered in, native to a land or region, especially before an intrusion. [from 17th c.]
- 1862, Henry David Thoreau, "Wild Apples: The History of the Apple Tree":
- Not only the Indian, but many indigenous insects, birds, and quadrupeds, welcomed the apple-tree to these shores.
- 1862, Henry David Thoreau, "Wild Apples: The History of the Apple Tree":
- Innate, inborn. [from 19th c.]
- 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin, ch. 18:
- She was a native and essential cook, as much as Aunt Chloe,—cooking being an indigenous talent of the African race.
- 1883, George MacDonald, "Stephen Archer" in Stephen Archer and Other Tales:
- He had all the tricks of a newspaper boy indigenous in him.
- 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin, ch. 18:
- Of or relating to the native inhabitants of a land.
Synonyms[edit]
- (born or engendered in): aboriginal, autochthonous, native; See also Thesaurus:native
- (innate, inborn): connatural, natural; See also Thesaurus:innate
- (relating to the native inhabitants of a land): local
Derived terms[edit]
Derived terms
Translations[edit]
born or engendered in, native to a land or region
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innate, inborn
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
