Aborigine

[ab-uh-rij-uh-nee]

noun

1. Also called Australian Aborigine. Often Offensive.,  a member of any of the peoples who are the earliest known inhabitants of Australia, or one of their descendants. Also

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. Also called: Aboriginal. 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

aborigine

²

/ ˌæbəˈrɪdʒɪnɪ /

noun

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

Usage

Aborigine, the noun specifically meaning “an Indigenous inhabitant of Australia,” is an outdated and often offensive term: Don't say the Aborigines of Melbourne and Sydney.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

Whites were smart and industrious, Blacks physically strong but lazy, and some people were barely distinguishable from animals; as late as 1902 it was debated in parliament in Australia whether aborigines were human beings.

From Scientific American

But after opening the island to Japanese settlers, the government forced the Ainu, who it referred to as “former aborigines”, to assimilate.

From The Guardian

It is well known that when America was discovered maize was widely cultivated by the aborigines, but the wild source of the plant has remained obscure.

From Nature

After opening it to Japanese settlers, it forced the Ainu, which it labeled “former aborigines,” to assimilate.

From Reuters

In contrast, l’autochtone—“the aborigine,” or local—walks slowly, to preserve his strength.

From The New Yorker