Autochthonously

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Originating or arising naturally and originally in a specific location without being introduced from elsewhere
2. Existing or developing naturally in a particular place from the earliest times rather than arriving from outside
3. Formed in or native to a place, not brought from another region or introduced by external sources

Etymology: "Autochthonously" is simply "autochthonous" with the adverbial ending "-ly" attached, so the adverb describes something done in the manner of a native, something that arose where it is found. The adjective it grows from comes from Greek "autochthōn," built from "autos" meaning "self" and "chthōn" meaning "earth" or "land," so the root idea is "sprung from the very soil itself." Ancient Greeks used the word to describe peoples who claimed to have been born from the land they inhabited, such as the Athenians, who liked to imagine they had never migrated anywhere. In English the word is used mainly in geology, biology and anthropology, where it describes rocks formed in place or species and peoples native to a region. The adverb follows the same pattern, so a plant that grew up locally rather than being introduced could be said to have developed autochthonously.