Aborigines

American  

[ab-uh-rij-uh-neez] / ˌæb əˈrɪdʒ ə niz /

plural noun

1. the plural form of Aborigine.

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aborigines Cultural  

1. The earliest known inhabitants of a region. The term is most often associated with the native hunting and gathering population of Australia, who preceded the arrival of white settlers. (See hunting and gathering societies.)

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Etymology

Origin of Aborigines

First recorded in 1540–50; Aborigine ( def. ) + -s ³ ( def. ); Aborigine ( def. )

Example Sentences

Wartilykirri is a hooked boomerang shaped like the number seven, used by Aborigines in southeastern Australia.

From Los Angeles Times

The intersection of tourism and Australia’s Indigenous peoples, the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, hasn’t always been so promising.

From New York Times

When the Australian Aborigines arrived on the continent of Australia, they started changing the ecosystem in very dramatic ways, and a lot of species went extinct.

From Salon

Australia has struggled for decades to reconcile with Aborigines, who arrived on the continent some 50,000 years before British colonists.

From Reuters

Aborigines account for 2% of Australia’s adult population and 27% of its prison population, with more than 340 indigenous Australians dying in police or prison custody in the past three decades.

From Seattle Times