native

Reading level: medium

Estimated CEFR level: A2 — Elementary

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun an indigenous person who was born in a particular place
  2. noun a person born in a particular place or country
  3. noun indigenous plants and animals

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English natif, from Old French natif, from Latin nātīvus, from nātus (“birth”). Doublet of naive and neif. Displaced native Middle English thedisch, equivalent to (puristic) theed + -ish. By surface analysis, Latin nat- + -ive. Compare also inborn.

In classic literature

Synonyms

indigen, indigene, aborigine, aboriginal

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