indigenous
UK /ɪnˈdɪdʒɪnəs/ · US /ɪnˈdɪd͡ʒənəs/ adjective
- adjective Native to a land, especially before colonization. “The Aboriginals were indigenous to Victoria before the World War.”
- adjective In particular, of or relating to a people (or their language or culture) that inhabited a region prior to the arrival of people of other cultures which became dominant (e.g., through colonialism), and which maintains a distinct culture. “The Ainu are the indigenous ethnic group of Japan's Hokkaido Island.”
- adjective Innate, inborn.
- adjective Original to a geographical area. “That style of pottery is indigenous to that region.”
Synonyms
connatural aboriginal autochthonous local natural autochthonal autochthonic endemic
Etymology
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 piecewise doublet endogenous. Unrelated to Indian.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Native; produced, growing, or living, naturally in a country or climate; not exotic; not imported.
- adjective Native; inherent; innate.
Etymology [L. indigenus, indigena, fr. OL. indu (fr. in in) + the root of L. gignere to beget, bear. See In, and Gender.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “indigenous”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details