(nāˈtĭv)
adjective- Existing in or belonging to one by nature; innate: native ability.
- Being such by birth or origin: a native Scot.
- Being one's own because of the place or circumstances of one's birth: our native land.
- Originating, growing, or produced in a certain place or region; indigenous: a plant native to Asia.
a. Being a member of the original inhabitants of a particular place.
b. Of, belonging to, or characteristic of such inhabitants: native dress; the native diet of Polynesia.
- Occurring in nature pure or uncombined with other substances: native copper.
- Natural; unaffected: native beauty.
- Archaic Closely related, as by birth or race.
- Biochemistry Of or relating to the naturally occurring conformation of a macromolecule, such as a protein.
nouna. 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.
- An animal or plant that originated in a particular place or region.
Related Forms:
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 now 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 much 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.
