aborigine
noun/ˌæbəˈrɪdʒəni/
/ˌæbəˈrɪdʒəni/
- a member of the group of people who were the original people living in a country
- Aboriginea member of the group of people who were the original people living in Australia before Europeans arrived Using the noun Aborigine to refer to a person can be offensive, so it is better to use the adjective Aboriginal: Aboriginal people • an Aboriginal man/woman You can also use the adjective indigenous: indigenous Australians/people or, if you know it, the specific name of the person's tribe or group. see also Koori, Torres Strait Islander
Word Originmid 19th cent.: back-formation from the 16th-cent. plural aborigines ‘original inhabitants’ (in classical times referring to those of Italy and Greece), from the Latin phrase ab origine ‘from the beginning’.
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aborigine