autochthonous

[ aw-tok-thuh-nuhs ]
See synonyms for autochthonous on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. Ecology. pertaining to autochthons; aboriginal; indigenous (opposed to heterochthonous).

  2. Pathology.

    • found in the part of the body in which it originates, as a cancerous lesion.

    • found in a locality in which it originates, as an infectious disease.

  1. Psychology. of or relating to ideas that arise independently of the individual's own train of thought and seem instead to have some alien or external agency as their source.

  2. Geology. (of rocks, minerals, etc.) formed in the region where found.: Compare allochthonous.

Origin of autochthonous

1
First recorded in 1795–1805; autochthon + -ous
  • Also au·toch·tho·nal, au·toch·thon·ic [aw-tok-thon-ik]. /ˌɔ tɒkˈθɒn ɪk/.

Other words from autochthonous

  • au·toch·tho·nism, au·toch·tho·ny, noun
  • au·toch·tho·nous·ly, adverb
  • au·toch·tho·nous·ness, noun

Words Nearby autochthonous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use autochthonous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for autochthonous

autochthonous

autochthonic (ˌɔːtɒkˈθɒnɪk) or autochthonal

/ (ɔːˈtɒkθənəs) /


adjective
  1. (of rocks, deposits, etc) found where they and their constituents were formed: Compare allochthonous

  2. inhabiting a place or region from earliest known times; aboriginal

  1. physiol (of some functions, such as heartbeat) originating within an organ rather than from external stimulation

Derived forms of autochthonous

  • autochthonism or autochthony, noun
  • autochthonously, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012