native
Definitions
Connected with the place where you were born; belonging to you from birth.
出生地的；与生俱来的（如母语、家乡）。
(Of plants or animals) originally from a particular place, not introduced from elsewhere.
（动植物）原产于某地的，本地的（非外来）。
A person born in a particular place.
本地人；土生土长的人。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivednat (born) + -ive (tending to, having the nature of) = "belonging to one by birth." Latin nātīvus described whatever you got at birth — the place, the language, the traits. So your native language is the one you were born into, and native plants are the ones that originated in a place rather than being brought in.
Root nat still carries 44 more wordsCommon Collocations
- 1.native language母语
- 2.native speaker母语者
- 3.native to原产于
- 4.native plants本地植物
- 5.a native of……的本地人
Example Sentences
- 1.
English is not her native language, but she speaks it fluently.
- 2.
The park protects native species that have lived here for centuries.
- 3.
He's a native of Glasgow, though he's lived abroad for years.
Easily Confused
native vs local vs indigenous. local just means "of this area" with no link to birth (the local shop). native means belonging by birth (native speaker, native plants). indigenous is the formal term for original peoples or species of a land, often in contrast to colonizers or invasive species (indigenous communities).