Word
aboriginal
Phoneticsabo·rig·i·nal
US/ˌæbɝˈɪdʒənəɫ/
UK/ˌæbəɹˈɪdʒɪnəl/
Definitions
01indigenous or original
adj. describing people, plants, or animals that have lived in a place from the earliest known times.
adj. pertaining to the indigenous inhabitants or native flora and fauna of a region, existing from the earliest recorded history.
“The museum has a large collection of aboriginal art from various islands.”
“The researchers studied the aboriginal plant species to understand how the ecosystem functioned before the introduction of European crops.”
Formal
Usage
Often used in a general scientific or historical sense when not capitalized.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02Australian Indigenous
adj. relating to the first people who lived in Australia.
adj. specifically relating to the Indigenous peoples of Australia, their languages, or their cultures.
“We learned about Aboriginal history during our trip to Sydney.”
“The government has introduced new initiatives to preserve Aboriginal languages that are at risk of being lost.”
American English · British English
Pitfall
He is an aboriginal.
He is an Aboriginal person.
Using the word as a noun to describe a person can be seen as offensive; it is more respectful to use it as an adjective followed by 'person' or 'people'.
Teaching tip
In modern usage, this sense is almost always capitalized (Aboriginal). In Australia, many people now prefer the terms 'Indigenous Australians' or 'First Nations people'.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Across most of Australia, free or low-cost dental care is currently only available to specific eligible groups such as children and young people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and those with concession cards.” “The Naidoc (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) awards recognise the outstanding contributions, achievements and excellence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia.” Etymology
From aborigine + -al, aborigine being from Latin ab origine (“from the beginning”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/aboriginal