Why are the terms 'Aborigine' and 'Aboriginal' used to refer to indigenous Australians who were obviously original because they were here first even though the prefix 'ab' can mean the opposite e.g. 'abnormal'?

mk2norwich

My dictionary tells me that the word is derived from the Latin phrase ab origine, meaning 'from the original'. Nov 27 02, 6:38 PM

Senior Moments

Senior Moments says: An aborigine is someone who belongs to a tribe or race that was the earliest known to inhabit a certain area. Those most often thought of as aborigines are Australians, but there are also American, African, and Japanese aborigines, and many others all around the world. This word's origin involved 'folk etymology,' in which a word evolves to match an incorrect understanding of its origin. In this case, there was a tribe that inhabited some areas of Italy before the Roman civilization appeared. The tribe's name sounded similar to a Latin phrase, 'ab origines' (from the beginning.) Since the tribe had been there 'from the beginning,' or at least since before the Romans arrived, they became known by the Romans as the Aborigine. Today, aborigines in general are any people who have been present in an area since prehistoric times. http://www.getty.edu/artsednet/hm/Feb00/0328.html Wed Nov 27 09:51:28 CST 2002 (Delete Entry) (Moved from #24632 - Duplicate question - McG) Dec 16 02, 7:49 AM

Kainantu

Kainantu says: When talking about the true owners of this continent of OZ most people say Aborigines(plural) not Aboriginals(as a plural) We rarely say: Is he an Aborigine (by doing so this can infer a primitiveness ) One usually asks: Is he Aboriginal? or Is he an Aboriginal? Aboriginal is also used as an adjective, such as in the phrase, an Aboriginal artifact. Generally one {says;} Aborigines were a...(resourceful race) The word must begin with a capital letter. An Aboriginal prefers to be called a Kouri or as a group, Kouris. Mon Dec 02 05:57:58 CST 2002 (Delete Entry) (Moved from #24632 - Duplicate question - McG) Dec 16 02, 7:51 AM

Create a Free FunTrivia ID to add to, request more/new answers, or edit this entry

This morning, I voted in my state's primary election, and for the first time here, touch screens were made available. Who can tell me when this technology was invented and how it works? Who were the original NBA teams? Who were the original founders of the 59 club? Who were the original "Tweedledum and Tweedledee"?

1 Their Original Names Were What? Their original names were what? I can't believe it. Do you think these famous people would have ever gotten famous if they'd kept these names? Birth and Stage Name Average 10 Q mickeygreeneyes Jul 14 02 3261 plays 2 These Presidents Were The First How many people had to write reports on U.S. presidents when they were in grade school? Well, here's a quiz that touches on some of the more random facts from those reports. Have fun! Presidential Firsts Tough 10 Q scout1010 Mar 12 01 579 plays 3 Wish You Were Here This is the first book in the "Mrs. Murphy Mystery" series by Rita Mae and Sneaky Pie Brown. I hope you enjoyed the book, and good luck on the quiz. :) B Very Difficult 10 Q kyleisalive Nov 05 04 84 plays