Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Aboriginal
1.
First; original; indigenous; primitive; native;
“Mantled o’er with aboriginal turf.” as, the
. aboriginal
tribes of AmericaWordsworth.
2.
Of or pertaining to aborigines;
as, a Hindu of
. aboriginal
bloodAbˊo-rig′i-nal
,Noun.
1.
An original inhabitant of any land; one of the aborigines.
2.
An animal or a plant native to the region.
It may well be doubted whether this frog is an
aboriginal
of these islands. Darwin.
Webster 1828 Edition
Aboriginal
ABORIG'INAL
,Adj.
First; original; primitive; aboriginal people are the first inhabitants of a country.
Aboriginal tribes of America.
ABORIG'INAL
,Adj.
Definition 2024
Aboriginal
Aboriginal
See also: aboriginal
English
Alternative forms
Adjective
Aboriginal (comparative more Aboriginal, superlative most Aboriginal)
- Of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginal peoples, Aborigines, or their language. [First attested in the 19th century.]
- Alternative letter-case form of aboriginal
Synonyms
- (of Aborigines): aboriginal, Aborigine, aborigine
- (of Aboriginal peoples): aboriginal, Native, native, Native American, First Nations, First Peoples, Indian, Eskimo, Inuit, Metis
Derived terms
Derived terms
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Related terms
Translations
of or pertaining to aborigines
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Noun
Aboriginal (plural Aboriginals)
- An Aboriginal inhabitant of Australia, Aborigine. [First attested in the 19th century.]
- Alternative letter-case form of aboriginal
Translations
original inhabitant of Australia
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original inhabitant of any land
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aboriginal — see aboriginal
Usage notes
Given that -al is an adjective suffix (and that Aboriginal was originally an adjective, Aborigines being the original noun), the usage of aboriginal as a noun was for a time considered incorrect.
Proper noun
Aboriginal
- Any of the native languages spoken by Australian aborigines.
Usage notes
In Canada, Aboriginal is most commonly capitalized (indicated by its status as the main headword in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary). The term has official status in the Constitution Act of 1982, and while recognizing that it is encountered in lowercase, since 1994 the Government of Canada has recommended the word be always capitalized (like, for example, Asian, Hispanic, and Nordic) and that it be used as a modifier, not a proper noun. It is used in this way by the Canadian Hansard and the Canadian Oxford Dictionary.
The U.S. Chicago Manual of Style recommends to capitalize ethnic groups and their associated adjectives: “Aborigines; an Aborigine; Aboriginal art”.
References
- “Aboriginal” in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, Second Edition, Oxford University Press, 2004.
- “Aboriginal” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.
- “Aboriginal people(s)” in the Terminology Guide, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
- “Capitalized: ‘Aboriginal peoples in Canada’” in the NatNews-north email list
- “Letters About Mulatto and Malignity” (editor's note), CBC.ca
- University of Chicago (2003). The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, p 325. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226104036
- “Aboriginal peoples in Canada” in Wikipedia
aboriginal
aboriginal
See also: Aboriginal
English
Adjective
aboriginal (comparative more aboriginal, superlative most aboriginal)
- First according to historical or scientific records; original; indigenous; primitive. [First attested in the mid 17th century.][1]
- 1814, William Wordsworth, The Excursion, Longman et al., page 277:
- Green in the Church-yard, beautiful and green; / […] / And mantled o'er with aboriginal turf / And everlasting flowers.
-
- Living in a land before colonization by the Europeans. [First attested in the late 17th century.][1]
- Alternative letter-case form of Aboriginal [First attested in the late 18th century.][1]
Synonyms
- (indigenous to a place): native, indigenous, autochthonous, endemic, original, first, earliest, primitive, ancient, primordial, primeval
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
original; indigenous
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living in a land before colonization
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Noun
aboriginal (plural aboriginals)
- An animal or plant native to a region. [First attested in the mid 18th century.][1]
- (Can we date this quote?), Charles Darwin, (Please provide the title of the work):
- It may well be doubted whether this frog is an aboriginal of these islands.
-
- Alternative letter-case form of Aboriginal [First attested in the mid 18th century.][1]
Translations
animal or plant native to a region
Usage notes
- Using uncapitalized aboriginal to refer to people or anything associated with people may cause offence.
- In Canada, style manuals recommend against using the noun Aboriginal for a person or people.
- See also the usage notes under Aboriginal.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Lesley Brown (editor), The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 5th edition (Oxford University Press, 2003 [1933], ISBN 978-0-19-860575-7), page 6
Spanish
Noun
aboriginal m, f (plural aboriginales)
- Aborigine (original inhabitant of Australia)