autochthon

American  

[aw-tok-thuhn] / ɔˈtɒk θən /

noun

plural

autochthons, autochthones

1. an aboriginal inhabitant.

2. Ecology. one of the indigenous animals or plants of a region.

3. Geology. a geological formation formed in the region where found.

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autochthon British  

/ -θɒn, ɔːˈtɒkθən /

noun

1. (often plural) one of the earliest known inhabitants of any country; aboriginal

2. an animal or plant that is native to a particular region

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Etymology

Origin of autochthon

First recorded in 1640–50; from Greek autóchthōn “of the land itself,” equivalent to auto- auto- ¹ + chthṓn “the earth, land, ground”

Example Sentences

Tchekoff is a true product of Russian literature, an autochthon plant, nourished by his natal sap.

From Contemporary Russian Novelists by Persky, Serge

Had she been familiar with the Greek idea, she might have called him a Kentucky autochthon.

From The Reign of Law; a tale of the Kentucky hemp fields by Allen, James Lane

That the Mayas were a race autochthon on this western continent and did not receive their civilization from Asia or Africa, seems a rational conclusion, to be deduced from the foregoing FACTS.

From Vestiges of the Mayas or, Facts Tending to Prove that Communications and Intimate Relations Must Have Existed, in very Remote Times, Between the Inhabitants of Mayab and Those of Asia and Africa by Le Plongeon, Augustus

As a Jew he saw and judged the Danish character, and as a Dane he saw and judged the Jewish character with a liberality and insight of which no autochthon would have been capable.

From Essays on Scandinavian Literature by Boyesen, Hjalmar Hjorth

He is earth-born, autochthon, and holds possession by descent.

From The Eulogy of Richard Jefferies by Besant, Walter, Sir