Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Nearby Entries
nativism - 4 dictionary results

na⋅tiv⋅ism

  [ney-ti-viz-uhm]
Use nativism in a Sentence
–noun
1. the policy of protecting the interests of native inhabitants against those of immigrants.
2. the policy or practice of preserving or reviving an indigenous culture.
3. Philosophy. the doctrine that innate ideas exist.
4. innateness hypothesis.
Origin:
1835–45, Americanism; native + -ism

Related forms:
na⋅tiv⋅ist, noun, adjective
na⋅tiv⋅is⋅tic, adjective

innateness hypothesis

 
–noun Psycholinguistics.
the theory that humans are biologically equipped with a knowledge of certain universal elements of language structure that is brought into play in the course of native-language acquisition.
Also called nativism.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To nativism
na·tiv·ism   (nā'tĭ-vĭz'əm)   
n.  
  1. A sociopolitical policy, especially in the United States in the 19th century, favoring the interests of established inhabitants over those of immigrants.
  2. The reestablishment or perpetuation of native cultural traits, especially in opposition to acculturation.
  3. Philosophy The doctrine that the mind produces ideas that are not derived from external sources.
na'tiv·ist n., na'tiv·is'tic adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Nativism

Na"tiv*ism\, n. 1. The disposition to favor the native inhabitants of a country, in preference to immigrants from foreign countries.

2. (Philos.) The doctrine of innate ideas, or that the mind possesses forms of thought independent of sensation.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see nativism on Thesaurus | Reference