Wiktionary

Aboriginal

See also: aboriginal

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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  • (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

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Aboriginal (comparative more Aboriginal, superlative most Aboriginal)

  1. 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.
  2. Alternative letter-case form of aboriginal

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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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

Noun

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Aboriginal (plural Aboriginals)

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

Usage notes

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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

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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"

Proper noun

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Aboriginal

  1. Any of the native languages spoken by Australian aborigines.

Usage notes

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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

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