autochthonous

adjective

au·​toch·​tho·​nous ȯ-ˈtäk-thə-nəs 

1

: indigenous, native

an autochthonous people

autochthonous plants

2

: formed or originating in the place where found

autochthonous rock

an autochthonous infection

autochthonously adverb

Did you know?

Ancient Athenians considered their ancestors the primordial inhabitants of their land, as if sprung from the very soil of the region they inhabited. Their word for any true-born Athenian, "autochthōn," itself springs from auto-, meaning "self," and chthōn, meaning "earth." Nowadays, the English adjective "autochthonous" is often used in somewhat meaty scientific or anthropological writing (as in "several autochthonous cases of fever broke out in the region"), but it was a "bready" context in which it made its debut. Observed English literary critic William Taylor in 1805: "The English have this great predilection for autochthonous bread and butter" (rather than French bread, one might safely presume).

Synonyms

• aboriginal
• born
• domestic
• endemic
• indigenous
• native

Examples of autochthonous in a Sentence

an illegally introduced Asian fish that has virtually wiped out the lake's autochthonous species

Recent Examples on the Web

In contrast, Ethiopian Jews (Beta Israel) and Indian Jews (Bene Israel and Cochini) cluster with neighbouring autochthonous populations in Ethiopia and western India, respectively, despite a clear paternal link between the Bene Israel and the Levant. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 10 June 2010

Alternatively, maybe the idea of coffee wasn't really autochthonous. —Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 22 Nov. 2013

Far from being autochthonous, folk music is often influenced by the music of cities and courts, the seeds spread by travelers, merchants, migrants, itinerant players, refugees. —Evan Eisenberg, WSJ, 24 May 2018

Word History

Etymology

autochthon + -ous

First Known Use

1803, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Medical Definition

autochthonous

adjective

au·​toch·​tho·​nous (ˈ)ȯ-ˈtäk-thə-nəs 

1

a

: indigenous or endemic to a region

autochthonous malaria

b

: contracted in the area where reported

autochthonous cases of malaria in the United States

2

: originated in that part of the body where found

—used chiefly of pathological conditions

autochthonously

-lē 

adverb