autochthonous

[ aw-tok-thuh-nuhs ]
/ ɔˈtɒk θə nəs /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR autochthonous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

pertaining to autochthons; aboriginal; indigenous (opposed to heterochthonous).
Pathology.
  1. found in the part of the body in which it originates, as a cancerous lesion.
  2. found in a locality in which it originates, as an infectious disease.
Psychology. of or relating to ideas that arise independently of the individual's own train of thought and seem instead to have some alien or external agency as their source.
Geology. (of rocks, minerals, etc.) formed in the region where found.Compare allochthonous.

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Also au·toch·tho·nal, au·toch·thon·ic [aw-tok-thon-ik]. /ˌɔ tɒkˈθɒn ɪk/.

Origin of autochthonous

First recorded in 1795–1805; autochthon + -ous

OTHER WORDS FROM autochthonous

au·toch·tho·nism, au·toch·tho·ny, nounau·toch·tho·nous·ly, adverbau·toch·tho·nous·ness, noun

Words nearby autochthonous

autocephalous, autocephaly, autochanger, autochrome, autochthonous
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to autochthonous

aboriginal, endemic, native

Example sentences from the Web for autochthonous

British Dictionary definitions for autochthonous

autochthonous

autochthonic (ˌɔːtɒkˈθɒnɪk) or autochthonal

/ (ɔːˈtɒkθənəs) /

adjective

(of rocks, deposits, etc) found where they and their constituents were formedCompare allochthonous
inhabiting a place or region from earliest known times; aboriginal
physiol (of some functions, such as heartbeat) originating within an organ rather than from external stimulation

Derived forms of autochthonous

autochthonism or autochthony, nounautochthonously, adverb
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

Medical definitions for autochthonous

autochthonous
[ ô-tŏk′thə-nəs ]

adj.

Native to the place inhabited; indigenous.
Originating in the place where found. Used of a disease originating in the part of the body where found, or of a disease acquired in the place where the patient is.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.