aboriginal

[ ab-uh-rij-uh-nl ]

adjective

1. Sometimes Aboriginal. relating to or typical of the original or earliest known inhabitants of a region, or their descendants: aboriginal customs.

   the aboriginal people of Tahiti;

   aboriginal customs.

2. Aboriginal. relating to or being a member of any of the peoples who are the earliest known inhabitants of Australia, or one of their descendants:

   an Aboriginal tribe of Tasmania.

3. originating in and characteristic of a particular region or country; native; indigenous:

   aboriginal mammals of the Arctic.

   Synonyms: autochthonous, endemic

noun

1. Sometimes Aboriginal. Aborigine ( def 2 ).
2. Aboriginal. Often Offensive. Aborigine ( def 1 ).

aboriginal

¹

/ ˌæbəˈrɪdʒɪnəl /

adjective

1. existing in a place from the earliest known period; indigenous; autochthonous

Aboriginal

²

/ ˌæbəˈrɪdʒɪnəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the indigenous peoples of Australia

noun

1. another word for an Australian Aborigine

Usage Note

See Aborigine.

Usage

The Australian government suggests that the most exact and inclusive way of referring to the indigenous peoples of Australia is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples . Other terms which are acceptable are: Aboriginal people(s) , Australian Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders

Derived Forms

• ˌaboˈriginally, adverb

Other Words From

• abo·rigi·nali·ty noun
• abo·rigi·nal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of aboriginal¹

First recorded in 1660–70; Aborigine + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Unique visitors to Eagle Feather News, a tiny aboriginal newspaper in Saskatchewan, plummeted from about 20,000 to 12,000 a month in the five months after the Facebook ban.

From Los Angeles Times

Bellingham-based artist Natasha Donovan, who is Métis — a recognized Canadian aboriginal people with mixed European and Indigenous ancestry — drew the illustration, which depicts Adam speaking next to fishermen on a river under a sunset.

From Seattle Times

“The school’s systematic mistreatment of aboriginal students,” she replied.

From Literature

Nuchatlaht’s victory marks the first time a B.C. trial court has recognized a First Nation’s aboriginal title — a type of ownership under Canadian law — of its ancestral territory.

From Seattle Times

Similar to the Coquille, the Karuk went decades without a reservation, even after the U.S. government took ownership of the tribe’s aboriginal hunting and fishing land in a forested swath of the Klamath River Basin.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• earliest
• original