/ ˈneɪtɪv; NAmE / adjective , noun
■ adjective
1.
[ only before noun ] connected with the place where you were born and lived for the first years of your life :
your native land / country / city
It is a long time since he has visited his native Chile.
Her native language is Korean.
—see also native speaker
2.
[ only before noun ] connected with the place where you have always lived or have lived for a long time :
native Berliners
3.
[ only before noun ] (sometimes offensive ) connected with the people who originally lived in a country before other people, especially white people, came there :
native peoples
native art
4.
native (to ... ) ( of animals and plants ) existing naturally in a place
SYN indigenous :
the native plants of America
The tiger is native to India.
native species
5.
[ only before noun ] that you have naturally without having to learn it
SYN innate :
native cunning
•
IDIOMS
- go native
■ noun
1.
a person who was born in a particular country or area :
a native of New York
2.
a person who lives in a particular place, especially sb who has lived there a long time
SYN local :
You can always tell the difference between the tourists and the natives.
She speaks Italian like a native.
3.
( old-fashioned , offensive ) a word used in the past by Europeans to describe a person who lived in a place originally, before white people arrived there :
disputes between early settlers and natives
4.
an animal or a plant that lives or grows naturally in a particular area :
The kangaroo is a native of Australia.
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Latin nativus , from nat- born, from the verb nasci .