aborigine

English

Etymology

Back-formation from aborigines.

Pronunciation

  • (US) IPA(key): /ˌæb.əˈɹɪd͡ʒ.ɪ.ni/
  • (file)

Noun

aborigine (countable and uncountable, plural aborigines)

  1. A native inhabitant of a country; a member of the original people. [First attested in the early 19th century.][1]
  2. (in the plural) The native flora and fauna of an area. [First attested in the late 17th century.][1]

Usage notes

  • Usually capitalized in Australian contexts, Aborigine. Today considered offensive; more appropriate terms would be "Aboriginal person" or "indigenous Australian".
  • Fowler's 3rd edition considers this singular to be "etymologically indefensible" notwithstanding its having become the established form in Australia since 1829. This is in reference to its derivation from aborigines, which was not actually formed as aborigine + -s but is the historically original word.

Descendants

  • ? Norwegian Bokmål: aborigin

Translations

References

  1. Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief; William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “aborigine”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford; New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 6.

Further reading

Anagrams

Finnish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English aborigine.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈæboridʒiːn/, [ˈæbo̞ˌridʒiːn]

Noun

aborigine (rare)

  1. Aborigine (aboriginal Australian)

Declension

See also

Latin

Adjective

aborigine

  1. vocative masculine singular of aboriginus
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