Definition of native
2 : belonging to a particular place by birth a native New Yorker
3 archaic : closely related
4 : belonging to or associated with one by birth hailed in his native Sweden as an influential dramatist — William Peden
6a : grown, produced, or originating in a particular place or in the vicinity : local native fruits and vegetablesb : living or growing naturally in a particular region : indigenous native wildlife of Australia
7 : simple, unaffected our feeling still native and entire, unsophisticated by pedantry — Edmund Burke
8a : constituting the original substance or source the way I must return to native dust — John Miltonb : found in nature especially in an unadulterated form mining native silver
natively
adverbnativeness
nounExplore Merriam-Webster
Examples of native in a Sentence
people who are native to France
She has a native ability to learn quickly.
The island is home to several native species of trees.
Origin and Etymology of native
Middle English natif, from Middle French, from Latin nativus, from natus, past participle of nasci to be born — more at nation
First Known Use: 15th century
Synonym Discussion of native
native
Definition of native
1 : one born or reared in a particular place
2a : an original or indigenous inhabitantb : something indigenous to a particular locality
3 : a local resident; especially : a person who has always lived in a place as distinguished from a visitor or a temporary resident
Examples of native in a Sentence
She's a native of France who moved to the United States when she was 15.
He wishes he could speak Spanish like a native.
The plant is a native of Central and South America.
Origin and Etymology of native
First Known Use: 1535
NATIVE Defined for English Language Learners
native
playDefinition of native for English Language Learners
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: born in a particular place
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—used to refer to the place where a person was born and raised
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: belonging to a person since birth or childhood
native
Definition of native for English Language Learners
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: a person who was born or raised in a particular place
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: a person from a group of people who were living in an area (such as South America or Africa) when Europeans first arrived
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: a kind of plant or animal that originally grew or lived in a particular place
NATIVE Defined for Kids
Definition of native for Students
1 : born in a certain place or country He's a native Belgian.
2 : belonging to a person because of place of birth His parents speak their native language at home.
3 : living or growing naturally in a certain region native plants
4 : grown, produced, or coming from a certain place native tomatoes native art
5 : natural 3 He's a swimmer with native ability.
Word Root of native
The Latin word nāscī, meaning “to be born,” and its form nātus give us the roots nat and nai. Words from the Latin nāscī have something to do with being born. When someone is native to a particular place, she or he was born there. A nation, or country, is a place where people are born. Anyone naive has a lack of knowledge and experience as if he or she was only recently born.
Definition of native for Students
1 : a person who was born in or comes from a particular place
2 : a kind of plant or animal that originally grew or lived in a particular place
Medical Dictionary
native
playMedical Definition of native
1: belonging to or associated with one by birth
2: living or growing naturally in a particular region
3a: constituting the original substance or sourceb: found in nature especially in an unadulterated form conversion of a native protein to a denatured protein
natively
adverbLearn More about native
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See words that rhyme with native Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for native Spanish Central: Translation of native Nglish: Translation of native for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of native for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
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