Indigenous Indigenous

Indigenous - Definition and Overview

Related Words: Atavistic, Autochthonous, Born, Congenital, Constitutional, Endemic, Genetic, Hereditary, Homegrown, Inbred, Incarnate, Inherited, Instinctive, Local, Natal, Native

The word indigenous is derived from the latin word indigena, meaning nativ, indigenous, aboriginal, and has several, related meanings:

  • The native people of a place; see the article indigenous people.
  • In biology, indigenous means native to a place or biota, in contrast to any one of several terms meaning not native to a place (non-native, alien, adventive, introduced) and differentiated from endemic. A species that is endemic is unique to that place, found naturally nowhere else. A species that is indigenous is native, but not unique in the sense that it is also native to other locations as well. Thus, a species that is native to California, but found naturally in Oregon and Washington as well (native to the West Coast of the United States) is indigenous to California. A species found only in the British Isles is endemic to those islands.

Example Usage of Indigenous

hopeeternal61: @gordymarshall RT@NWF As European honey bees decline, Indigenous bees & other pollinating animals can help. http://bit.ly/1GgsT9
jacquelineyv: PLZ sign ~ Indigenous PEOPLE?S DAY: http://bit.ly/5soVH
ppgis: RE: FW: IFAD policy on Engagement with Indigenous Peoples: In line with my previous e-mail here are the relevan.. http://bit.ly/17LLZT
Copyright 2009 WordIQ.com - Privacy Policy  :: Terms of Use  :: Contact Us  :: About Us
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the this Wikipedia article.