autochthon
au·toch·thon/ɔˈtɑkθ(ə)n/noun
autochthon is spelled A-U-T-O-C-H-T-H-O-N: 10 letters and 3 syllables (au·toch·thon). It appears about once in every 89 million words in written English, the 301,415th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, autochthon means “The earliest inhabitant of an area; an indigenous person” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of autochthon is autochthons or autochthones.
How many letters and syllables are in autochthon?
| Letters | 10: A-U-T-O-C-H-T-H-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: au·toch·thon |
| In writing | about once in every 89 million words; the 301,415th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is autochthon?
Autochthon appears about once in every 89 million words in written English, the 301,415th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce autochthon?
- UK /ɔːˈtɒkθ(ə)n/
- UK /ɔːˈtɒkθɒn/
- US /ɔˈtɑkθ(ə)n/
Autochthon has 3 syllables, split au·toch·thon in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-autochthon.oga, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of autochthon
- autochthons plural
- autochthones plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does autochthon mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The earliest inhabitant of an area; an indigenous person.
- 2
A large mass of rock in the place of its original formation, rooted to its basement (foundation rock) as opposed to an allochthon or nappe which has shifted from the place of formation; an autochthonous rock formation.
- 3
A term referring to mortals and immortals who have sprung, fully-formed, from the soil, rocks and trees. Mythical characters, such as Erichthonius (a son of Hephaestus and Gaia, and raised by Athena), and Cecrops I, are two most well-known examples.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Autochthon in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense earliest inhabitant:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | autochtone |
| Spanish | autóctono |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does autochthon come from?
From Ancient Greek αὐτόχθων (autókhthōn, “indigenous”), from αὐτός (autós, “self”) + χθών (khthṓn, “earth, soil”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).