Exotics

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A set of species that originate from outside a local ecosystem; Objects or trends that derive from international cultures, often viewed as striking; Goods that are unconventional or unique, usually sourced from remote areas
2. Plants or animals introduced into an area where they are not native ; items or fashions considered unusual or culturally foreign to a local context
3. Organisms living outside their natural habitat in a new environment ; distinct or rare products and trends from outside one’s own culture

Etymology: "Exotics" is simply the plural of "exotic," so the story belongs to the singular. Its ancestor in Ancient Greek, "exōtikos," literally meant "from the outside," built from "exō," meaning "outside," and "ex," meaning "out of." To a Greek speaker, something foreign was something that came from beyond the borders of one's own world, and the word carried that plain spatial sense before it ever described a person or a plant. The term passed into Latin as "exōticus" and then into Middle French as "exotique," which is how English received it. The meaning followed the physical sense: a thing was exotic because it came from elsewhere, not because it was strange or beautiful in itself. That is why the modern noun "exotics," for non-native species introduced into a region, is a direct continuation of the original idea of something arriving from outside.

Synonyms: foreigners, strangers

Antonyms: natives, locals