ENGLISH
REFERENCE

local

n. countable
A1 Beginner Oxford US //ˈɫoʊkəɫ// UK //lˈəʊkəl// lo·cal General-service Informal Slang Vulgar

n. someone who lives in a particular area or neighborhood. You use this to distinguish between people who belong to a place and people who are just visiting.

n. a person who resides in a particular area, neighborhood, or town. Often used in the plural to refer to the community of residents in contrast to tourists or outsiders.


SIMPLE

The locals are very friendly to visitors.

CONTEXTUAL

If you want to find the best food in town, you should ask a local for a recommendation.

COMPLEX

While the resort is popular with international travelers, the surrounding shops and markets are primarily frequented by locals who have lived in the valley for generations.

Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English local, from Late Latin locālis (“belonging to a place”), possibly also via Old French local; ultimately from Latin locus (“a place”). The ring-theoretic senses derive from Krull, who first referred to Noetherian commutative rings with a unique maximal ideal as "Stellenring" (Stellen (“place”) + ring) in 1938. The term was inspired by algebraic geometry, where local rings encode information about the behavior of curves (surfaces, etc.) at points; hence, describe "local" behavior.

Usage

Often used in the plural form ('locals') to describe the inhabitants of a specific region.

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