Native
Where you were born. And who was there before.
How We Say It
nay·tiv
Where It Comes From
Latin nativus — innate, natural, from birth. From nasci — to be born. Related to nation and nature. The same root — being born — generates all three words. Who counts as native depends entirely on where you start the clock.
How It's Been Used
'Native American' as a term replaced 'Indian' in official usage in the latter 20th century — a shift in naming that carried political weight. 'Going native' was a colonial phrase for assimilation into local culture, invariably pejorative. The word's authority rests entirely on how far back 'native' is taken.