indigenous
adjective
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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.
Synonyms
Examples of indigenous in a Sentence
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
Dan Sheehan, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2024
Taiwan has responded by moving to shore up its defense, including by marginally raising its military budget, extending compulsory service from four months to one year and developing new indigenous weapons platforms, such as attack submarines.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
In addition to its rich array of indigenous birds, reptiles and insects, the park has cemented itself as one of the region's foremost institutions for mammal conservation, with the puma, guanaco and huemul all under careful watch to ensure their prolonged survival across the park.
—Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024
Off-screen, she has been honored for her philanthropy, having created the Wayuu Taya Foundation to assist the indigenous Wayuu people of Venezuela and Colombia.
—Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for indigenous 
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Cite this Entry
“Indigenous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indigenous. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.
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indigenous
adjective
Medical Definition
indigenous
adjective
C. M. Kunin et al.
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