Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Native \Na"tive\ (n[=a]"t[i^]v), a. [F. natif, L. nativus, fr. nasci, p. p. natus. See Nation, and cf. Na["i]ve, Neif a serf.]
-
Arising by birth; having an origin; born. [Obs.]
Anaximander's opinion is, that the gods are native, rising and vanishing again in long periods of times.
--Cudworth. Of or pertaining to one's birth; natal; belonging to the place or the circumstances in which one is born; -- opposed to foreign; as, native land, language, color, etc.
Born in the region in which one lives; as, a native inhabitant, race; grown or originating in the region where used or sold; not foreign or imported; as, native oysters, or strawberries. In the latter sense, synonymous with domestic.
Original; constituting the original substance of anything; as, native dust.
--Milton.-
Conferred by birth; derived from origin; born with one; inherent; inborn; not acquired; as, native genius, cheerfulness, wit, simplicity, rights, intelligence, etc. Having the same meaning as congenital, but typically used for positive qualities, whereas congenital may be used for negative qualities. See also congenital
Courage is native to you.
--Jowett (Thucyd.). -
Naturally related; cognate; connected (with). [R.]
the head is not more native to the heart, . . . Than is the throne of Denmark to thy father.
--Shak. -
(Min.)
Found in nature uncombined with other elements; as, native silver, copper, gold.
-
Found in nature; not artificial; as native sodium chloride.
Native American party. See under American, a.
Native bear (Zo["o]l.), the koala.
Native bread (Bot.), a large underground fungus, of Australia ( Mylitta australis), somewhat resembling a truffle, but much larger.
Native devil. (Zo["o]l.) Same as Tasmanian devil, under Devil.
Native hen (Zo["o]l.), an Australian rail ( Tribonyx Mortierii).
Native pheasant. (Zo["o]l.) See Leipoa.
Native rabbit (Zo["o]l.), an Australian marsupial ( Perameles lagotis) resembling a rabbit in size and form.
Native sloth (Zo["o]l.), the koala.
Native thrush (Zo["o]l.), an Australian singing bird ( Pachycephala olivacea); -- called also thickhead.
Native turkey (Zo["o]l.), the Australian bustard ( Choriotis australis); -- called also bebilya.
Syn: Natural; natal; original; congenital.
Usage: Native, Natural, Natal. natural refers to the nature of a thing, or that which springs therefrom; native, to one's birth or origin; as, a native country, language, etc.; natal, to the circumstances of one's birth; as, a natal day, or star. Native talent is that which is inborn; natural talent is that which springs from the structure of the mind. Native eloquence is the result of strong innate emotion; natural eloquence is opposed to that which is studied or artificial.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
Wiktionary
a. (context of a trait English) Present since birth.
WordNet
Wikipedia
Usage examples of "congenital".
Kate had suffered from a congenital condition known as status asthmaticus, which continually imperiled her life.
Many of the Guam dogs now have congenital short tails courtesy of their ancestor, the mascot of the 2nd and 3rd War Dog Platoons of the Second World War.
Holmes also reports a case of enormous congenital exophthalmos, in which the right eye protruded from the orbit and was no longer covered by the cornea.
Congenital luxation of the femora, when it appears in adult women is a prominent factor in dystocia.
If germinally anti-social persons are kept humanely segregated during their lifetime, instead of being turned out after a few years of institutional life and allowed to marry, they will leave no descendants, and the number of congenital defectives in the community will be notably diminished.
He found that this anomaly was caused by a congenital malformation and remarkable development of the infraorbital ridge of the maxillary bone.
Partial albinism, necessarily congenital, presenting a piebald appearance, must not be confounded with leukoderma, which is rarely seen in the young and which will be described later.
The case was really one of large congenital naevus pilosus and fibroma molluscum combined.
Mackenzie removed a congenital papillomatous web which had united the vocal cords until the age of twenty-three, thus establishing the voice.
Batz, on the coast of France, where Voisin found five marriages of first cousins and thirty-one of second cousins, without a single case of mental defect, congenital deafness, albinism, retinitis pigmentosa or malformation?
Staples records a case of pregnancy and parturition with congenital stricture of the vagina.
And there were three Grannys taken to their beds in my kingdom, afflicted with what they claimed was epizootics and what I knew was congenital cantankerousness, and that was disrupting the regular conduct of everyday affairs more than was convenient.
Hollywood scriptwriter who remained unheralded during his lifetime, but has now received posthumous acclaim for his workin particular his darkly accurate pictures of smalltime con artists, congenital liars and occasional killers.
Hollywood scriptwriter who remained unheralded during his lifetime, but has now received posthumous acclaim for his work-in particular his darkly accurate pictures of smalltime con artists, congenital liars and occasional killers.
A truce to threnes and trentals and jeremies and all such congenital defunctive music!