indigenous

adjective in·dig·e·nous \in-ˈdi-jə-nəs\

: produced, living, or existing naturally in a particular region or environment

Full Definition of INDIGENOUS

: produced, growing, living, or occurring naturally in a particular region or environment <indigenous plants> <the indigenous culture>

: innate, inborn

— in·dig·e·nous·ly adverb

— in·dig·e·nous·ness noun

See indigenous defined for English-language learners

See indigenous defined for kids

Examples of INDIGENOUS

Viking invaders quickly subdued the indigenous population, known as the Picts. —Jared M. Diamond, Collapse, 2005
Unlike France, Italy relies on dozens of indigenous regional grape varieties for its prodigious range of wines. —Gerald Asher, Gourmet, September 2002
Though Gilded Age architecture was not indigenous to America, at least it was borrowed from belle epoque Europe, from which much of America's late-nineteenth-century culture evolved. —Robert D. Kaplan, An Empire Wilderness, 1988
[+]more [-]hide

Origin of INDIGENOUS

Late Latin indigenus, from Latin indigena, noun, native, from Old Latin indu, endo in, within + Latin gignere to beget — more at end-, kin

First Known Use: 1646

Related to INDIGENOUS

Synonyms: aboriginal, autochthonous, born, domestic, endemic, native

Antonyms: nonindigenous, nonnative

Synonym Discussion of INDIGENOUS

native, indigenous, endemic, aboriginal mean belonging to a locality. native implies birth or origin in a place or region and may suggest compatibility with it <native tribal customs>. indigenous applies to species or races and adds to native the implication of not having been introduced from elsewhere <maize is indigenous to America>. endemic implies being peculiar to a region <edelweiss is endemic in the Alps>. aboriginal implies having no known race preceding in occupancy of the region <the aboriginal peoples of Australia>.

Other Biology Terms

autochthonous, fecund, homunculus, phylogeny, substrate

Rhymes with INDIGENOUS

caliginous, fuliginous, polygynous, serpiginous, terrigenous, vertiginous

Medical Dictionary

indigenous

adjective in·dig·e·nous \in-ˈdij-ə-nəs\

Medical Definition of INDIGENOUS

: having originated in and being produced, growing, or living naturally in a particular region or environment <a disease indigenous to the tropics> <colonization by small numbers of indigenous enteric bacteria—C. M. Kunin et al>

: being inborn or innate <a type of behavior that is indigenous to human beings>

—in·dig·e·nous·ly adverb