indigenous
adjective
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Indigenous derives from the Latin noun indigena (meaning "native"), which was formed by combining Old Latin indu (meaning "in" or "within") with the verb gignere (meaning "to beget"). Another term that comes from the indigena root is indigene, a word for a plant or animal that lives, grows, or originates in a certain area. Indigene is the older of the two; it has been used in English since the late 16th century, whereas the earliest documented use of indigenous occurred nearly 50 years later. Indigenous is used in scientific contexts to describe organisms and the habitats to which they belong, and in expressly non-scientific contexts, as in "emotions indigenous to the human spirit." Most often, however, it's used to describe the native inhabitants of a place.
Synonyms
Examples of indigenous in a Sentence
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
There are several indigenous groups that still live in the area.
the culture of the indigenous people of that country
Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 17 Sep. 2024
This contamination hurts indigenous people who depend on the rivers for fishing, bathing and drinking, causing long-term health and environmental problems.
—Jalynn Hilton, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2024
Marquez says his research program is focused on how these frogs (named after the use of their toxin for poison darts by the Embera indigenous people) have evolved to avoid the harmful effects associated with consuming and accumulating toxic alkaloids.
—Andrew Wight, Forbes, 5 Sep. 2024
But the new queen is ascending at a particularly important time: New Zealand’s right-leaning coalition government has faced widespread criticism for dismantling initiatives that benefit indigenous people since taking power last year.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 5 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for indigenous 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'indigenous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Indigenous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indigenous. Accessed 26 Sep. 2024.
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indigenous
adjective
Medical Definition
indigenous
adjective
C. M. Kunin et al.
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