Natives

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈneɪtɪvz/

Definitions

1. Persons who are born and raised in a specific locale, often reflecting the area's unique cultural heritage and identity
2. Individuals originally from a certain region, typically having deep cultural or familial ties to that area
3. People who originate from a specific location, often possessing customs and traditions linked to their birthplace

Etymology: "Natives" is the plural of "native," so it is the form of a word that came into English through Old French from Latin "nativus," meaning "natural, belonging by birth," built on "natus," "birth." The same root gives us "nature" and "nation," which is why the family of words clusters around the idea of being born into a place or condition. The noun sense, a person born in a particular place, grew out of the adjective's core idea of belonging by birth. Its plural "natives" thus carries that same sense of inheritance: people who belong to a land because they were born there, as opposed to those who arrived later.

Synonyms: locals, inhabitants, indigenous people

Antonyms: foreigners, outsiders