indigenous

in·dig·e·nous

adj \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 all synonyms and antonyms

[+]more[-]hide

See Synonym Discussion at native

Other Biology Terms

autochthonous, fecund, homunculus, phylogeny, substrate

Rhymes with INDIGENOUS

caliginous, fuliginous, polygynous, serpiginous, terrigenous, vertiginous