Aborigine

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌæb.əˈɹɪd͡ʒ.ɪ.ni/

Definitions

1. A member of the indigenous population of a land, particularly referring to the original inhabitants of Australia before European settlement
2. A person belonging to the earliest known inhabitants of a geographical area, often highlighting their cultural and historical significance in relation to colonization
3. An individual representing the original ethnic groups of a territory, notably those who have lived there for millennia and possess unique customs

Etymology: The word "aborigine" is a back-formation: English speakers first borrowed the plural "aborigines" from Latin "aborigines", the name the Romans used for the early inhabitants of Italy. Later, speakers treated the plural ending as if it were part of the stem and created a singular, "aborigine," that never existed in Latin. The Latin plural itself is a compound, of "ab" ("from") and "origo" ("origin"), so the sense was roughly "those from the beginning" or "from the origin." Latin writers used it of peoples thought to be the first settlers of a land, and English adopted that sense, applying it to the indigenous peoples of any region. The modern meaning, tied especially to the original inhabitants of Australia, grew out of that general use.

Synonyms: indigenous person, native

Antonyms: settler, foreigner