Aborigine

[ ab-uh-rij-uh-nee ]

noun

1. Often Offensive. a member of any of the peoples who are the earliest known inhabitants of Australia, or one of their descendants. Also . Also called Australian Aborigine.
2. Sometimes Offensive. one of the original or earliest known inhabitants of a region, or one of their descendants:

   the Aborigines of Canada and Greenland.

3. aborigines, the original, native fauna or flora of a region.

aborigine

¹

/ ˌæbəˈrɪdʒɪnɪ /

noun

1. an original inhabitant of a country or region who has been there from the earliest known times

Aborigine

²

/ ˌæbəˈrɪdʒɪnɪ /

noun

1. Also calledAboriginal a member of the indigenous people who were living in Australia when European settlers arrived
2. any of the languages of this people See also Australian

Usage Note

Aborigine, the noun specifically meaning “an Indigenous inhabitant of Australia,” is an outdated and often offensive term: Don't say the Aborigines of Melbourne and Sydney. Instead, use the related adjective Aboriginal, which is preferred and acceptable, and say, the Aboriginal Australians of Melbourne and Sydney. Similarly, the noun use of Aboriginal with specific reference to Australia is also often offensive, as in Australian Aboriginals. Again, you can use the adjectival form: Aboriginal Australians.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Aborigine¹

First recorded in 1540–50; by back formation from aborigines, from Latin Aborīginēs “the pre-Roman inhabitants of Italy,” probably alteration of an earlier ethnonym by association with ab origine

Word History and Origins

Origin of Aborigine¹

C16: back formation from aborigines, from Latin: inhabitants of Latium in pre-Roman times, probably representing some tribal name but associated in folk etymology with ab origine from the beginning

Example Sentences

Wartilykirri is a hooked boomerang shaped like the number seven, used by Aborigines in southeastern Australia.

From Los Angeles Times

The intersection of tourism and Australia’s Indigenous peoples, the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, hasn’t always been so promising.

From New York Times

When the Australian Aborigines arrived on the continent of Australia, they started changing the ecosystem in very dramatic ways, and a lot of species went extinct.

From Salon

She, too, was an Aborigine who had been taken from her parents.

From New York Times

“The Australian Aborigines are defending themselves with bow and arrow against the authorities who are forcibly trying to vaccinate them,” reads one false tweet that shared the video.

From Seattle Times