nativo

native

adjective nah-TEE-voh Rare

Origin: From Latin nativus ('born, natural'), from nasci ('to be born').

Also means

indigenous

Usage Note

Nativo describes someone born in a given place (parlante nativo = 'native speaker') or something originating there (pianta nativa = 'native plant'). In the context of language learning, madrelingua is a close synonym for 'native speaker'. Do not confuse nativo with naturale, which covers a broader range of meanings ('natural, normal, plain').

Examples

"È una parlante nativa di italiano."

Natural Translation

She is a native speaker of Italian.

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