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indigene

indigene

1 9.4
A person native to a place where their family lived for many generations
  • noun
  • /ˈɪndɪˌdʒin/
translation icon : indígena
  • The indigenes of the Amazon rainforest have a rich cultural heritage passed down through generations.
  • Malaysia's indigenes
  • indigenes want secure land

Examples

  • So widespread was the use of guadua among the indigenes, and so obvious was its unmatched utility that the Spaniards quickly adopted it.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Despite this ostensible settlement, the struggle between settlers and indigenes is considered perpetual.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Malaysia's indigenes enjoy certain customary, statutory, and native title rights to land.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Malaysia's indigenes face a steep uphill battle to hold on to their traditional lands and resources.

    Academic text (2011)
  • A more positive development is the recognition by Malaysia's courts that the country's indigenes hold native title rights at common law and that such rights do not have their origins in legislative, executive, or judicial order.

    Academic text (2011)
  • ASSOCIATION WITH LAND, LANDSCAPE, AND PLACE: Malaysia's indigenous peoples, like most other indigenes around the world, affirm a special relationship to their ancestral lands and territories.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Many indigenes in Australia advocate for the preservation of their traditional languages and customs.

  • In Hawaii, the indigenes hold significant cultural festivals to celebrate their history and traditions.

Synonyms

native
vsindigene
84 3.7

A person from the original people of a place, not later settlers

is a neutral label for someone from a place without social emphasis
aborigine
vsindigene
4 8.6

A person from the first people living in a place before others arrived

is broader applying to any local-born person not only precolonial originals
aboriginal
vsindigene
2 7.6

A member of the first people who lived in a region

is used more generally for someone from that region regardless of settlement era
tribesperson
vsindigene
6.5

A person who lives in a small community that shares the same customs

focuses on origin in a place rather than on belonging to a traditional community

Antonyms

108 4.1

A person who moves to a new area to live and set up a home

Surface Forms

indigene singular
indigenes plural

Etymology

The word indigene comes from Latin parts in- 'in' and gignere 'to be born', so it originally meant someone 'born in' a place. That's why indigene now means a person native to a particular place.