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Definition 2024


Aborigine

Aborigine

See also: aborigine, aborígine, and ab origine

English

Noun

Aborigine (plural Aborigines)

  1. An individual aboriginal Australian.

Translations

aborigine

aborigine

See also: Aborigine, aborígine, and ab origine

English

Noun

aborigine (countable and uncountable, plural aborigines)

  1. An native inhabitant of a country; a member of the original people. [First attested in the early 19th century.][1]
  2. (in the plural) The native flora and fauna of an area. [First attested in the late 17th century.][1]

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).

References

  1. 1 2 Lesley Brown (editor), The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 5th edition (Oxford University Press, 2003 [1933], ISBN 978-0-19-860575-7), page 6

Finnish

Noun

aborigine

  1. Aborigine (aboriginal Australian)

Declension

See also


Latin

Noun

aborigine

  1. ablative singular of aborigō