indigenous
- 1Relating to a people, language, or culture that lived in a region before other, later-dominant cultures arrived through colonization, and that maintains a distinct identity.
The treaty was meant to protect indigenous land from further encroachment.
Scholars are working to revive indigenous languages that colonization nearly erased.
UsageUsually before a noun, with the place after of: the indigenous peoples of Australia.
Similarnative, aboriginal
- 2Originating in or native to a particular land or region, especially before the arrival of outsiders.
Researchers catalogued the birds indigenous to the remote island chain.
The tomato, now common in Italian cooking, is actually indigenous to the Americas.
UsageUsually indigenous to a place: plants indigenous to Australia.
Oppositeforeign, alien, exotic, introduced
Note
It applies as readily to animals as to people: Thoreau's apple-tree was welcomed by "indigenous insects, birds, and quadrupeds."
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Thoreau wrote that indigenous insects, birds, and quadrupeds welcomed the apple-tree. en.wikisource.org
Less common meaning
- 3Present in a person or thing naturally from birth, rather than learned or acquired later.
He had all the tricks of a newspaper boy indigenous in him.
1883, George MacDonald, “Stephen Archer”
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Origin
Borrowed from Late Latin indigenus ("native, born in a country"), formed from indi-, an old derivative of in ("in"), plus gen-, the root of gignō ("give birth to"), with the English ending -ous. It is unrelated to the word Indian.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
- Indigenous was borrowed from Late Latin indigenus, meaning 'native, born in a country'. en.wiktionary.org
- The formation involves indi-, an old derivative of in, and gen-, the root of gignō, with English -ous. en.wiktionary.org
- Indigenous is etymologically unrelated to Indian. en.wiktionary.org