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Webster 1913 Edition

Native

Na′tive

(nā′tĭv)
,
Adj.
[F.
natif
, L.
nativus
, fr.
nasci
, p. p.
natus
. See
Nation
, and cf.
Naïve
,
Neif
a serf.]
1.
Arising by birth; having an origin; born.
[Obs.]
Anaximander’s opinion is, that the gods are
native
, rising and vanishing again in long periods of times.
Cudworth.
2.
Of or pertaining to one's birth; natal; belonging to the place or the circumstances in which one is born; – opposed to
foreign
;
as,
native
land, language, color, etc.
4.
Original; constituting the original substance of anything;
as,
native
dust
.
Milton.
Courage is
native
to you.
Jowett (Thucyd.).
6.
Naturally related; cognate; connected (with).
[R.]
the head is not more
native
to the heart, . . .
Than is the throne of Denmark to thy father.
Shakespeare
7.
(Min.)
(a)
Found in nature uncombined with other elements;
as,
native
silver, copper, gold
.
(b)
Found in nature; not artificial;
as
native
sodium chloride
.
Native American party
.
See under
American
,
Adj.
–
Native bear
(Zool.)
,
the koala.
–
Native bread
(Bot.)
,
a large underground fungus, of Australia (
Mylitta australis
), somewhat resembling a truffle, but much larger.
–
Native devil
.
(Zool.)
Same as
Tasmanian devil
, under
Devil
.
–
Native hen
(Zool.)
,
an Australian rail (
Tribonyx Mortierii
).
–
Native pheasant
.
(Zool.)
See
Leipoa
.
–
Native rabbit
(Zool.)
,
an Australian marsupial (
Perameles lagotis
) resembling a rabbit in size and form.
–
Native sloth
(Zool.)
,
the koala.
–
Native thrush
(Zool.)
,
an Australian singing bird (
Pachycephala olivacea
); – called also
thickhead
.
–
Native turkey
(Zool.)
,
the Australian bustard (
Choriotis australis
); – called also
bebilya
.
Syn. – Natural; natal; original; congenital.
–
Native
,
Natural
,
Natal
. natural refers to the nature of a thing, or that which springs therefrom; native, to one's birth or origin; as, a native country, language, etc.; natal, to the circumstances of one's birth; as, a natal day, or star.
Native
talent is that which is inborn; natural talent is that which springs from the structure of the mind.
Native
eloquence is the result of strong innate emotion; natural eloquence is opposed to that which is studied or artificial.
2.
(Stock Breeding)
Any of the live stock found in a region, as distinguished from such as belong to pure and distinct imported breeds.
[U.S.]

Webster 1828 Edition

Native

NATIVE

,
Adj.
1.
Produced by nature; original; born with the being; natural; not acquired; as native genius; native affections; a native talent or disposition; native cheerfulness; native simplicity.
2.
Produced by nature; not factitious or artificial; as native ore; native color.
3.
Conferred by birth; as native rights and privileges.
4.
Pertaining to the place of birth; as native soil; native country; native graves.
5.
Original; that of which any thing is made; as mans native dust.
6.
Born with; congenial.

NATIVE

,
Noun.
1.
One born in any place is said to be a native of that place, whether country, city or town.
2.
Offspring.

Definition 2024

Native

Native

See also: native

English

Adjective

Native ‎(not comparable)

  1. Belonging to the native inhabitants of the Americas or Australia; in particular:
    1. (US, Canada) Indian: Native American or First Nation; of or relating to (North) American Indians.
      • 2005, Native American Issues: A Reference Handbook (ISBN 1851097414), page 82:
        Therefore, in 1885 Congress passed the Major Crimes Act whereby jurisdiction in the case of seven major crimes (the list of crimes was later expanded) occurring on Native lands was placed in the hands of federal courts.
    2. (Australia, New Zealand) Aboriginal; of or relating to Australian Aboriginal peoples, Aborigines.
      • 1904 November 3, in the New Zealand Parliamentary Debates, second session, fifteenth parliament, legislative council and house of representatives, volume 131, Native Land Rating Bill, page 814:
        He did not ask the Council to sanction the removal of all restrictions on Native lands, but simply asked that such lands as are to be rated under this Bill should have their titles freed in so far as to enable the Native owners to lease those lands and obtain some benefit therefrom.

Noun

Native ‎(plural Natives)

  1. An aboriginal inhabitant of the Americas or Australia; in particular:
    1. (US, Canada) A Native American.
    2. (Australia, New Zealand) An Aborigine.

Usage notes

See the usage notes at native.

native

native

See also: Native

English

Adjective

native ‎(comparative more native, superlative most native)

  1. Belonging to one by birth.
    This is my native land.
    English is not my native language.
    I need a volunteer native New Yorker for my next joke…
  2. Characteristic of or relating to people inhabiting a region from prehistoric times.
    What are now called ‘Native Americans’ used to be called Indians.
    The native peoples of Australia are called aborigines.
  3. Alternative letter-case form of Native (of or relating to the native inhabitants of the Americas, or of Australia).
  4. Born or grown in the region in which it lives or is found; not foreign or imported.
    a native inhabitant
    native oysters or strawberries
    Many native artists studied abroad.
  5. (biology, of a species) Which occurs of its own accord in a given locality, to be contrasted with a species introduced by man.
    The naturalized Norway maple often outcompetes the native North American sugar maple.
  6. (computing, of software) Pertaining to the system or architecture in question.
    This is a native back-end to gather the latest news feeds.
    The native integer size is sixteen bits.
  7. (mineralogy) Occurring naturally in its pure or uncombined form; native aluminium, native salt.
  8. Arising by birth; having an origin; born.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Cudworth
      Anaximander's opinion is, that the gods are native, rising and vanishing again in long periods of times.
  9. Original; constituting the original substance of anything.
    native dust
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Milton to this entry?)
  10. Naturally related; cognate; connected (with).
    • (Can we date this quote?) Shakespeare
      The head is not more native to the heart, […] / Than is the throne of Denmark to thy father.

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

native ‎(plural natives)

  1. A person who is native to a place; a person who was born in a place.
  2. (in particular) A person of aboriginal stock, as distinguished from a person who was or whose ancestors were foreigners or settlers/colonizers. Alternative letter-case form of Native (aboriginal inhabitant of the Americas or Australia).
    Some natives must have stolen our cattle.
  3. A native speaker.

Usage notes

  • In North America, native/Native came into use as an umbrella term for the indigenous inhabitants of America as Indian began to fall out of formal usage (because it originated from Columbus's mistaken belief that he was in India and the people he encountered were Indians). Other designations include Native American, Native Canadian, and American Indian. In Canada, the terms include Inuit and Metis and the adjectives First Nation/First Nations.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: possession · move · foreign · #956: native · members · fortune · glass

French

Adjective

native

  1. feminine singular of natif

Anagrams

Italian

Adjective

native

  1. feminine plural of nativo

Noun

native f

  1. plural of nativa

Anagrams

Latin

Adjective

nātīve

  1. vocative masculine singular of nātīvus

Romanian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [naˈti.ve]

Adjective

native

  1. feminine plural nominative of nativ
  2. feminine plural accusative of nativ
  3. neuter plural nominative of nativ
  4. neuter plural accusative of nativ

Etymology

From Old French natif, from Latin nativus, from natus ‎(“birth”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈneɪtɪv/
  • Rhymes: -eɪtɪv
  • Hyphenation: na‧tive

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