na·tive
(nā′tĭv)adj.1. a. Being such by birth or origin: a native Scot.
b. Being a member of the original inhabitants of a particular place.
c. Of, belonging to, or characteristic of such inhabitants: native dress; the native diet of Polynesia.
d. Being one's own because of the place or circumstances of one's birth: our native land.
2. Originating, growing, or produced in a certain place or region; indigenous: a plant native to Asia.
3. Occurring in nature pure or uncombined with other substances: native copper.
4. Existing in or belonging to one by nature; innate: her native intelligence.
5. Natural, unaltered, or unadorned: native beauty.
6. Biochemistry Of or relating to the naturally occurring conformation of a macromolecule, such as a protein.
7. Archaic Closely related, as by birth or race.
n.1. a. One born in or connected with a place by birth: a native of Scotland now living in the United States.
b. One of the original inhabitants or lifelong residents of a place.
2. An animal or plant that originated in a particular place or region.
[Middle English, from Old French
natif, from Latin
nātīvus, from
nātus, past participle of
nāscī,
to be born; see
genə- in
Indo-European roots.]
na′tive·ly adv.
na′tive·ness n.
Synonyms: native, indigenous, autochthonous, aboriginal
These adjectives mean of, belonging to, or connected with a specific place or country by virtue of birth or origin. Native implies birth or origin in the specified place: a native New Yorker; the native North American sugar maple. Indigenous specifies that something or someone is native rather than coming or being brought in from elsewhere: an indigenous crop; the Ainu, a people indigenous to the northernmost islands of Japan. Autochthonous applies to what is native and unchanged by outside sources: autochthonous folk melodies. Aboriginal describes what has existed from the beginning; it is often applied to the earliest known inhabitants of a place: the aboriginal population; aboriginal nature.
Usage Note: When used in reference to a member of an indigenous people, the noun native, like its synonym aborigine, can evoke unwelcome stereotypes of primitiveness or cultural backwardness that many people seek to avoid. As is often the case with words that categorize people, the use of the noun is more problematic than the use of the corresponding adjective. Thus a phrase such as the peoples native to northern Europe or the aboriginal inhabitants of the South Pacific is generally preferable to the natives of northern Europe or the aborigines of the South Pacific. · Despite its potentially negative connotations, native is enjoying increasing popularity in ethnonyms such as native Australian and Alaska Native, perhaps due to the wide acceptance of Native American as a term of ethnic pride and respect. These compounds have the further benefit of being equally acceptable when used alone as nouns (a native Australian) or in an adjectival construction (a member of a native Australian people). Of terms formed on this model, those referring to peoples indigenous to the United States generally capitalize native, as in Alaska Native (or the less common Native Alaskan) and Native Hawaiian, while others usually style it lowercase.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
native
(ˈneɪtɪv) adj1. relating or belonging to a person or thing by virtue of conditions existing at the time of birth: my native city.
2. inherent, natural, or innate: a native strength.
3. born in a specified place: a native German.
4. (when: postpositive, foll by to) originating in a specific place or area: kangaroos are native to Australia.
5. characteristic of or relating to the indigenous inhabitants of a country or area: the native art of the New Guinea Highlands.
6. (Chemistry) (of chemical elements, esp metals) found naturally in the elemental form
7. unadulterated by civilization, artifice, or adornment; natural
8. archaic related by birth or race
9. (Computer Science) computing (of an application, software, etc) designed to run on a specific platform
10. go native (of a settler) to adopt the lifestyle of the local population, esp when it appears less civilized
n11. (usually foll by of) a person born in a particular place: a native of Geneva.
12. (usually foll by of) a species originating in a particular place or area: the kangaroo is a native of Australia.
13. a member of an indigenous people of a country or area, esp a non-White people, as opposed to colonial settlers and immigrants
14. offensive old-fashioned any non-White
[C14: from Latin nātīvus innate, natural, from nascī to be born]
ˈnatively adv
ˈnativeness n
Usage: Because of its potentially offensive and colonial overtones, native as a noun without qualification is best avoided. It is however acceptable when modified, as in natives of Edinburgh or a native of North Carolina
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
na•tive
(ˈneɪ tɪv)
adj. 1. being the place or environment in which a person was born or a thing came into being: one's native land.
2. belonging to a person by birth or to a thing by nature; inherent: native ability.
3. belonging to or originating in a certain place; indigenous: native dress.
4. born in a particular place: a native Chicagoan.
5. of or pertaining to something first acquired by a person: one's native language.
6. remaining or growing in a natural state: the desert's native beauty.
7. originating naturally in a particular country or region, as animals or plants.
8. (of metals) occurring in nature pure or uncombined.
9. Computers. a. designed for use with a specific type of computer: writing native applications for 32-bit PCs.
b. internal to a specific application program: to view the file in its native format.
10. Archaic. closely related, as by birth.
n. 11. Sometimes Offensive. one of the people indigenous to a place, esp. as distinguished from foreigners, colonizers, etc.: the natives of Chile.
12. a person born in a particular place or country: a native of Ohio.
13. an animal, plant, etc., that is indigenous to a particular region.
Idioms: go native, to imitate the behavior of a surrounding culture, esp. behavior that seems simple or natural.
[1325–75; < Middle French < Latin nātīvus inborn, natural, from nāt(us) (past participle of nāscī to be born)]
na′tive•ly, adv.
na′tive•ness, n.
usage: Definition 19 is sometimes taken to be offensive because of colonialist and racial overtones. However, definition 20 is a neutral usage.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.