allochtoon

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French allochtone, from Ancient Greek ἄλλος (állos, “other”) + χθών (khthṓn, “earth, ground”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑlɔxˈtoːn/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: al‧loch‧toon
• Rhymes: -oːn

Adjective

allochtoon (comparative allochtoner, superlative allochtoonst)

1. allochthonous

Declension

Declension of allochtoon
uninflected	allochtoon
inflected	allochtone
comparative	allochtoner
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		allochtoon	allochtoner	het allochtoonst het allochtoonste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	allochtone	allochtonere	allochtoonste
	n. sing.	allochtoon	allochtoner	allochtoonste
	plural	allochtone	allochtonere	allochtoonste
definite		allochtone	allochtonere	allochtoonste
partitive		allochtoons	allochtoners	—

Synonyms

• buitenlands

Antonyms

• autochtoon

Noun

allochtoon m (plural allochtonen, diminutive allochtoontje n)

1. a person (or thing) originating abroad
   1. (law, demography) a person of non-native descent, having been born abroad or having foreign parents or grandparents (legal and demographic definitions vary)
2. (colloquial, potentially offensive) a person of non-Western descent, typically Muslim or Black

Usage notes

• While initially used as a politically correct term, use in the meaning “person of non-Western descent” is now often considered racist and incorrect by those adhering to more formal definitions; Allochtoon means something that originated abroad, whereas most people labeled as such were actually born in the country.
• Use of this word to refer to people has been avoided by the Dutch government since 2016 (along with autochtoon), favouring met een migratieachtergrond (with a migration background) as a more politically neutral and correct qualifier to express the same idea.
• The word's negative connotation comes from it rarely if ever being used in a positive context in the media; it's typically used to denote crime statistics or a "demographic threat".
• The word is in practice used to denote more specifically Muslims and Blacks; it is almost never used for East Asians for example.
• In informal contexts, it's used ironically (and non-offensively) by people of non-Western descent among each other, but remains potentially offensive when used by a person of Dutch or Flemish descent.

Synonyms

• buitenlander

Antonyms

• autochtoon

Descendants

• → Papiamentu: alòkton, alòhton