aboriginal
[ab-uh-rij-uh-nl]
- of, relating to, or typical of aborigines: aboriginal customs.
- original or earliest known; native; indigenous: the aboriginal people of Tahiti.
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- aborigine(def 1).
- (initial capital letter) aborigine(def 2).
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Origin of aboriginal
Synonyms
See more synonyms for aboriginal on Thesaurus.com2. endemic, autochthonous, primordial.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for aboriginal
Contemporary Examples
The day just gets more upsetting when we hear about aboriginal rights in Canada.
The cover story is about how over 1,000 aboriginal women have gone missing since 1980.
“At that time, Aboriginal people were only just granted citizenship,” Briggs tells the Daily Beast.
‘The Sapphires’: Tony Briggs and His Mum on Racism in Australia, Music & MoreJean Trinh
March 22, 2013
One Sapphire, Kay, falls for a black soldier, even as she struggles with her Aboriginal identity.
‘The Sapphires’: Tony Briggs and His Mum on Racism in Australia, Music & MoreJean Trinh
March 22, 2013
An all-girl Aboriginal quartet sings in war-torn Vietnam in ‘The Sapphires,’ out today.
‘The Sapphires’: Tony Briggs and His Mum on Racism in Australia, Music & MoreJean Trinh
March 22, 2013
Historical Examples
What is the aboriginal Self, on which a universal reliance may be grounded?
Essays, First SeriesRalph Waldo Emerson
This name is aboriginal, and signifies "The place where things are made."
Aztec LandMaturin M. Ballou
Every vestige of aboriginal architecture has disappeared from the surface of the city.
Aztec LandMaturin M. Ballou
May we not say that this is what takes place in an aboriginal tribe?
Essays: Scientific, Political, & Speculative, Vol. IHerbert Spencer
In Spain it is difficult to find any traces of the aboriginal religions.
The Oriental Religions in Roman PaganismFranz Cumont
aboriginal
- existing in a place from the earliest known period; indigenous; autochthonous
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Aboriginal
- of, relating to, or characteristic of the indigenous peoples of Australia
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- another word for an Australian Aborigine
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usage
The Australian government suggests that the most exact and inclusive way of referring to the indigenous peoples of Australia is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples . Other terms which are acceptable are: Aboriginal people(s), Australian Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for aboriginal
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper