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indigenous: msg#00003

culture.language.word-of-the-day

Subject: indigenous

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The Word of the Day for March 4 is:

indigenous \in-DIJ-uh-nuss\ adjective
*1 : having originated in and being produced, growing,
living, or occurring naturally in a particular region or
environment
2 : innate, inborn

Example sentence:
Most people know that kangaroos are indigenous to
Australia, but some species are also found on the island of New
Guinea.

Did you know?
"Indigenous" derives from the Latin noun "indigena"
(meaning "native"), which was formed by combining Old
Latin "indo" (meaning "in" or "within") with the verb "gignere"
(meaning "to beget"). Another term that comes from
the "indigena" root is "indigene," a word for a plant or animal
that lives, grows, or originates in a certain area. "Indigene"
is the older of the two; it has been used in English since the
late 16th century, whereas the earliest documented use
of "indigenous" occurred nearly 50 years later. "Indigenous" is
mostly used in scientific contexts to describe organisms and
the habitats to which they belong, but since the mid-19th
century it has also been used in non-scientific contexts (as
in "emotions indigenous to the human spirit").

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.








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