26984 words

indigenous

5 definitions • 12 examples
1
used to refer to, or relating to, the people who originally lived in a place, rather than people who moved there from somewhere else :

Examples:

So who are the indigenous people of this land?
The indigenous population has long suffered exclusion and profound injustice.
He studied Mixtec, an indigenous language of Mexico.
2
used to refer to plants and animals that grow or live naturally in a place, and have not been brought there from somewhere else:

Examples:

indigenous to Are there any species of frog indigenous to the area?
The snakes are a serious threat to indigenous wildlife owing to their big appetites.
3
not foreign or from outside an area:

Examples:

The rise of indigenous Chinese enterprises has posed a threat to Hong Kong companies.
They are doing this by the import of arms from Western sources and by the development of indigenous industries.
4
existing naturally or having always lived in a place; native:

Examples:

The Navajos are among the indigenous people of North America.
Are there any species of frog indigenous to the area?
5
operating or happening in the local area, not in other countries:

Examples:

indigenous firms
The most profitable indigenous business is cocoa growing.
indigenous tourism

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