Autochthonous
adj ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 Native to the place where found; indigenous. not-comparable
"Two of the most celebrated of the evolutionists reject the autochthonous view, for Darwin's Descent of Man and Haeckel's Hist. of Creation consider the American man an emigrant from the old world, whatever way the race may have developed"
- 2 Originating where found; found where it originates. not-comparable
"When, in 1858, Joseph Lister amputated the right leg of a six-year-old girl suffering from gangrene, he noted that the autochthonous blood clot extended down the anterior tibial artery as far as the commencement of the gangrene."
- 3 Buried in place, especially of a fossil preserved in its life position without disturbance or disarticulation. not-comparable
"Death and burial may be simultaneous, resulting in a preserved snapshot of an autochthonous assemblage that may be compared directly with present day ecosystems."
- 1 of rocks, deposits, etc.; found where they and their constituents were formed wordnet
- 2 originating where it is found wordnet
Example
More examples"Maltese is the only autochthonous Semitic language in Europe. It is one of the official languages of the European Union."
Etymology
Literally, “native to the soil”; from autochthon + -ous.
Related phrases
More for "autochthonous"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.