Aboriginal

See also: aboriginal

English

Alternative forms

aboriginal

Etymology

From aborigine +‎ -al, aborigine being from Latin ab origine (“from the beginning”).

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /ˌæb.əˈɹɪd͡ʒ.ɪ.nəl/
- Audio (UK): (file)
(US) IPA^(key): /ˌæb.əˈɹɪd͡ʒ.n̩.l̩/, /ˌæb.əˈɹɪd͡ʒ.ɪn.l̩/
Hyphenation: Ab‧orig‧in‧al

Adjective

Aboriginal (comparative more Aboriginal, superlative most Aboriginal)

Of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginal peoples, or their languages. [First attested in the 19th century.]
- 1991, Barry J. Blake, Australian Aboriginal Languages: A General Introduction, page 75:
  Academics who study Aboriginal languages are [...] contributing to Man’s search for knowledge, a search that interests most people even if they are not personally involved in it.
Alternative letter-case form of aboriginal

Synonyms

(of Aborigines): aboriginal, Aborigine, aborigine
(of Aboriginal peoples): aboriginal, Native, native, Native American, First Nations, First Peoples, Indian, Eskimo, Inuit

Derived terms

Related terms

Aborigine, aborigine
(slang, very offensive) Abo, abo

Translations

of or pertaining to Australian Aboriginals

Finnish: aboriginaali- (fi), aboriginaalien (fi), alkuperäiskansan (fi)
French: indigène (fr), aborigène (fr)
German: indigene (de), einheimische (de)
Italian: aborigeno (it)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: aboriginsk
Polish: aborygeński (pl)
Portuguese: aborígene (pt) c, aborígine (pt) c
Serbo-Croatian: абориџински m, aboridžinski
Ukrainian: абориге́нський (aboryhénsʹkyj), тубі́льний (tubílʹnyj)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Vietnamese: ^{(please verify)} thổ dân (vi), ^{(please verify)} thổ sản (vi), ^{(please verify)} đặc sản (vi), ^{(please verify)} ban sơ (vi), ^{(please verify)} nguyên thuỷ (vi), ^{(please verify)} cổ sơ

Noun

Aboriginal (plural Aboriginals)

(potentially offensive) An Aboriginal inhabitant of Australia or other land. [First attested in the 19th century.]
Alternative letter-case form of aboriginal

Usage notes

Given that -al is an adjective suffix (and that Aboriginal was originally an adjective, Aborigines being the original noun), the use of aboriginal as a noun was for a time considered incorrect. Use of aboriginal or Aboriginal as a noun to refer to a person is considered offensive by some.

Translations

original inhabitant of Australia

Bulgarian: абориге́н (bg) m (aborigén) (typically plural)
Cherokee: ᏅᏁᎯᏯ (nvnehiya)
Dutch: Aboriginal (nl) m
Esperanto: aborigeno
Finnish: aboriginaali (fi)
French: aborigène (fr) m or f
Greek: Αβορίγινας m (Avoríginas)
Korean: 원주민 (ko) (wonjumin) (especially Australia)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: aborigin (no) m, aboriginer m
Nukunu: thuṛa
Polish: Aborygen (pl) m, Aborygenka (pl) f
Portuguese: aborígene (pt) c, aborígine (pt) c
Russian: абориге́н (ru) m (aborigén)
Serbo-Croatian: Абориџин m
Spanish: aborigen (es), aboriginal
Ukrainian: абориге́н (uk) (aboryhén), тубіле́ць (uk) (tubilécʹ)

original inhabitant of any land

Bulgarian: абориге́н (bg) (aborigén) (typically plural), тузе́мец (bg) (tuzémec)
Czech: domorodec (cs) m
Dutch: inboorling (nl) m, inboorlinge (nl) f
Finnish: alkuperäinen asukas, alkuasukas (fi)
French: indigène (fr) m or f
German: Eingeborener (de) m, Eingeborene (de) f, Ureinwohner (de) m, Ureinwohnerin (de) f, Einheimischer (de) m, Einheimische (de) f
Greek: ιθαγενής (el) m or f (ithagenís), αυτόχθων (el) m or f (aftóchthon)
Hungarian: bennszülött (hu), őslakó (hu)
Italian: aborigeno (it) m
Norwegian:
Bokmål: aborigin (no) m, urinnbygger m, urinnvåner m
Portuguese: aborígene (pt) c, aborígine (pt) c
Russian: абориге́н (ru) m (aborigén), тузе́мец (ru) m (tuzémec), автохто́н (ru) m (avtoxtón), коренно́й жи́тель m (korennój žítelʹ), уроже́нец (ru) m (urožénec)
Serbo-Croatian: абориџин m, aboridžin m, домородац m, domorodac (sh) m
Spanish: aborigen (es)
Swedish: urinvånare (sv) c
Ukrainian: абориге́н (uk) (aboryhén), тубі́лець (uk) (tubílecʹ), автохто́н (uk) (avtoxtón), тузе́мець (tuzémecʹ), уродже́нець (urodžénecʹ)

aboriginal — see aboriginal

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked‌: "Translations to be checked"

Crimean Tatar: ^{(please verify)} aborigen
Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} aborigine

Proper noun

Aboriginal

Any of the native languages spoken by Australian aborigines.

Usage notes

In Canada, Aboriginal is most commonly capitalized (indicated by its status as the main headword in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary). The term has official status in the Constitution Act of 1982, and while recognizing that it is encountered in lowercase, since 1994 the Government of Canada has recommended the word be always capitalized (like, for example, Asian, Hispanic, and Nordic) and that it be used as a modifier, not a proper noun. It is used in this way by the Canadian Hansard and the Canadian Oxford Dictionary.

The U.S. Chicago Manual of Style recommends to capitalize ethnic groups and their associated adjectives: “Aborigines; an Aborigine; Aboriginal art”.

References

Aboriginal on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Australian Aboriginal languages on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
“Aboriginal” in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, Second Edition, Oxford University Press, 2004.
“Aboriginal”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
“Aboriginal people(s)” in the Terminology Guide, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
“Capitalized: ‘Aboriginal peoples in Canada’” in the NatNews-north email list
“Letters About Mulatto and Malignity” (editor's note), CBC.ca
University of Chicago (2003). The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, p 325. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. →ISBN
“Aboriginal peoples in Canada” in Wikipedia