Native

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /ˈneɪtɪv/
• Rhymes: -eɪtɪv

Origin

From Old French natif, from Latin nativus, from natus, ‘birth’.

Full definition of native

Adjective

1. Belonging to one by birth.This is my native land.English is not my native language.I need a volunteer native New Yorker for my next joke…
2. Characteristic of or relating to people inhabiting a region from prehistoric times.What are now called ‘Native Americans’ used to be called Indians.The native peoples of Australia are called aborigines.
3. (chiefly North America, also Native) Of or relating to North American Indians or Aboriginal people.
4. Born or grown in the region in which it lives or is found; not foreign or imported.a native inhabitantnative oysters or strawberriesMany native artists studied abroad.
5. (biology, of a species) Which occurs of its own accord in a given locality, to be contrasted with a species introduced by man.The naturalized Norway maple often outcompetes the native North American sugar maple.
6. (computing, of software) Pertaining to the system or architecture in question.This is a native back-end to gather the latest news feeds.The native integer size is sixteen bits.
7. (mineralogy) Occurring naturally in its pure or uncombined form; native aluminium, native salt.
8. Arising by birth; having an origin; born.
• unknown date CudworthAnaximander's opinion is, that the gods are native, rising and vanishing again in long periods of times.
9. Original; constituting the original substance of anything.native dust
10. Naturally related; cognate; connected (with).
• unknown date ShakespeareThe head is not more native to the heart, ...
  Than is the throne of Denmark to thy father.

Antonyms

• foreign, fremd

Derived terms

Noun

1. A person who is native to a place (literal or metaphoric).She is a regular Wiki* native.
2. (chiefly North America, also Native) A North American Indian or Aboriginal person.
3. Sometimes used pejoratively against indigenous peoples by their colonizers.Some natives must have stolen our cattle.

Usage notes

(North American) Native was adopted as an ethnonym when Indian dropped out of favour in formal use, due to its association with Christopher Columbus mistaking North America for India. More precise names are American Indian, Native American, or Native Canadian.

In Canada, specific terms for Aboriginal peoples are preferable in formal writing, such as the adjectives First Nations, Inuit, and Metis. Indian is also used in some contexts, but not appropriate in others.

Synonyms

• homeling