indigenous

adjective

in·​dig·​e·​nous in-ˈdi-jə-nəs How to pronounce indigenous (audio)
1
a
: produced, growing, living, or occurring natively or naturally in a particular region or environment
indigenous plants
the indigenous culture
b
Indigenous or less commonly indigenous : of or relating to the earliest known inhabitants of a place and especially of a place that was colonized by a now-dominant group
Indigenous peoples
2
indigenously adverb
indigenousness noun

Did you know?

Indigenous derives from the Latin noun indigena (meaning "native"), which was formed by combining Old Latin indu (meaning "in" or "within") with the verb gignere (meaning "to beget"). Another term that comes from the indigena root is indigene, a word for a plant or animal that lives, grows, or originates in a certain area. Indigene is the older of the two; it has been used in English since the late 16th century, whereas the earliest documented use of indigenous occurred nearly 50 years later. Indigenous is used in scientific contexts to describe organisms and the habitats to which they belong, and in expressly non-scientific contexts, as in "emotions indigenous to the human spirit." Most often, however, it's used to describe the native inhabitants of a place.

Choose the Right Synonym for indigenous

native, indigenous, endemic, aboriginal mean belonging to a locality.

native implies birth or origin in a place or region and may suggest compatibility with it.

native tribal customs

indigenous applies to that which is not only native but which, as far as can be determined, has never been introduced or brought from elsewhere.

indigenous plants

endemic implies being peculiar to a region.

a disease endemic in Africa

aboriginal implies having no known others preceding in occupancy of a particular region.

the aboriginal peoples of Australia

Examples of indigenous in a Sentence

Viking invaders quickly subdued the indigenous population, known as the Picts. Jared M. Diamond, Collapse, 2005
Unlike France, Italy relies on dozens of indigenous regional grape varieties for its prodigious range of wines. Gerald Asher, Gourmet, September 2002
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
There are several indigenous groups that still live in the area. the culture of the indigenous people of that country
Recent Examples on the Web Gladstone would become the first person identifying as indigenous to win the award, while Stone would claim her second best actress title at the age of 35. Tom Page, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 Dark Winds and Blood Quantum actor Kiowa Gordon and Sera-Lys McArthur (Café Daughter, Outlander) have joined the cast of Many Wounds, a contemporary re-imagining of Lee Tamahori’s ground-breaking 1994 Maori film Once Were Warriors, set among indigenous communities in Canada. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 Some of the material collected from the mountains has found its way to indigenous craftswomen of the Tharu community, who are using their traditional skills to transform the garbage into something entirely new. Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 26 Feb. 2024 You are supposed to clone and fuse yourself in order to conceal your Black or indigenous side. Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2024 Made up of overwater villas, the hotel will make an excellent base for exploring the Komodo National Park, famed for the indigenous Komodo dragons and located on a nearby island. Nicole Trilivas, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 Michael Grimes, the report’s lead author, said that the flow of sediments and nutrients into coastal waters was particularly problematic for indigenous communities that rely on fishing, as well as for hunters on other parts of the island. Angela Dewan, CNN, 13 Feb. 2024 Or check out sea life from hammerhead sharks to indigenous tropical fish in the museum’s aquarium. Kathy Buccio, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 What began as a way of demanding that attention be paid to the dangerous, corrupt and economically exploited conditions of Afro-Colombian, rural and indigenous people builds energy in the run-up to the 2022 elections. Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 27 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'indigenous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

1632, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of indigenous was in 1632

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Dictionary Entries Near indigenous

Cite this Entry

“Indigenous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indigenous. Accessed 15 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

indigenous

adjective
in·​dig·​e·​nous in-ˈdij-ə-nəs How to pronounce indigenous (audio)
: produced, growing, or living naturally in a particular region or environment
indigenous plants
indigenous tribes
indigenously adverb

Medical Definition

indigenous

adjective
in·​dig·​e·​nous in-ˈdij-ə-nəs How to pronounce indigenous (audio)
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 bacteriaC. M. Kunin et al.
2
: being inborn or innate
a type of behavior that is indigenous to human beings
indigenously adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on indigenous

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