indigenous

in·dig·e·nous

adjective \in-ˈdi-jə-nəs\

Definition of INDIGENOUS

1

: produced, growing, living, or occurring naturally in a particular region or environment <indigenous plants> <the indigenous culture>

2

: innate, inborn

— in·dig·e·nous·ly adverb

— in·dig·e·nous·ness noun

Examples of INDIGENOUS

1. There are several indigenous groups that still live in the area.
2. <the culture of the indigenous people of that country>
3. Viking invaders quickly subdued the indigenous population, known as the Picts. —Jared M. Diamond, Collapse, 2005
4. Unlike France, Italy relies on dozens of indigenous regional grape varieties for its prodigious range of wines. —Gerald Asher, Gourmet, September 2002
5. Though Gilded Age architecture was not indigenous to America, at least it was borrowed from belle epoque Europe, from which much of America's late-nineteenth-century culture evolved. —Robert D. Kaplan, An Empire Wilderness, 1988

Origin of INDIGENOUS

Late Latin indigenus, from Latin indigena, noun, native, from Old Latin indu, endo in, within + Latin gignere to beget — more at end-, kin

First Known Use: 1646

Related to INDIGENOUS

Synonyms

aboriginal, autochthonous, born, domestic, endemic, native

Antonyms

nonindigenous, nonnative

Related Words

local, regional; original

Near Antonyms

imported, introduced, transplanted; alien, exotic, foreign, strange; expatriate, immigrant

See Synonym Discussion at native

Other Biology Terms

autochthonous, fecund, homunculus, phylogeny, substrate

Rhymes with INDIGENOUS

caliginous, fuliginous, polygynous, serpiginous, terrigenous, vertiginous

in·dig·e·nous

adjective \in-ˈdij-ə-nəs\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of INDIGENOUS

1

: having originated in and being produced, growing, or living naturally in a particular region or environment <a disease indigenous to the tropics> <colonization by small numbers of indigenous enteric bacteria—C. M. Kunin et al>

2

: being inborn or innate <a type of behavior that is indigenous to human beings>

—in·dig·e·nous·ly adverb