aborigine

1 the earliest known inhabitants of a region

2 a dark-skinned member of a race of people living in Australia when Europeans arrived [syn: Abo, Aboriginal, native Australian, Australian Aborigine]

see Aborigine

English

Etymology

Back-formation from the plural aborigines.

Pronunciation

• /æbəˈɹɪdʒɪni/
• Audio (US)

Noun

1. An aboriginal inhabitant of a country.

Translations

Usage notes

• Should be capitalized in Australian contexts.
• Fowler's 3rd edition considers this singular to be "etymologically indefensible" notwithstanding its having become the established form in Australia since 1829. This is in reference to its inflection from 'Aborigines', not actually originally an S-addition pluralization (see Aborigine/Aborigines/Aboriginal entries in Oxford Dictionary).

Aborigine or Aboriginal may refer to:

• Indigenous peoples in general

Or, more specifically:

• Australian Aborigines
• Tasmanian Aborigines of Tasmania, Australia
• Victorian Aborigines of Victoria, Australia
• Taiwanese aborigines of Taiwan
• Aboriginal peoples in Canada, comprising First Nations, Inuit, and Metis

Bronze Age man, Hominidae, Iron Age man, Stone Age man, aboriginal, ancient, antediluvian, anthropoid, ape-man, autochthon, bushman, cave dweller, caveman, earliest inhabitant, first comer, fossil man, hominid, humanoid, indigene, local, local yokel, man of old, missing link, native, preadamite, prehistoric man, prehuman, primate, primitive, primitive settler, protohuman, troglodyte