autochthonous

WOTD – 5 November 2007    

English

Etymology

Literally, "native to the soil"; from autochthon +‎ -ous.

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ɔːˈtɒkθənəs/
• (cot–caught merger, US) IPA: /ɑˈtɑkθənəs/, /ɔˈtɑkθənəs/ X-SAMPA: /O:"takT@n@s/

• Audio (US cot-caught merged)

  (file)

Adjective

autochthonous (not comparable)

1. Native to the place where found; indigenous.
   • 1889, Justin Winsor, Narrative and Critical History of America, Vol. I, page 375:

     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. (biology, medicine) Originating where found.
3. (geology) Buried in place, especially of a fossil preserved in its life position without disturbance or disarticulation.
   • 1992, Anna K. Behrensmeyer, et al., Terrestrial Ecosystems Through Time, page 83:

     Death and burial may be simultaneous, resulting in a preserved snapshot of an autochthonous assemblage that may be compared directly with present day ecosystems.

Synonyms

• (native to the place where found): aboriginal, autochthonic, indigenous, native

Antonyms

• (native to the place where found, buried in place): allochthonous

Derived terms

• autochthonously
• parautochthonous

Related terms

• autochthon
• autochthonal
• autochthonic
• autochthonism
• autochthony

Translations

native to the place where found

• Dutch: autochtoon (nl)
• Finnish: kotoperäinen (fi)
• French: autochtone (fr) m and f
• German: autochthon (de)
• Greek: αυτόχθονας (el) (autóchthonas) 
• Italian: autoctono (it)

• Polish: autochtoniczny (pl) m
• Romanian: autohton (ro) m
• Serbo-Croatian: autòhton (sh)
• Spanish: autóctono (es)
• Swedish: autokton (sv), ursprunglig (sv), infödd (sv)
• Turkish: asil yerli (tr)

biology, medicine: originating where found

• Finnish: autoktoninen (fi)

geology: formed or buried where found

• Finnish: autoktoninen (fi)