The Latin/Greek term (autós = self, chthón = earth) means "long-established, indigenous, native" and, in terms of geology and biology, refers to the origin or occurrence at the place of discovery. The opposite of "autochthonous" is "allochthonous", which means that something originated elsewhere or is not native to the place where it was found. A related term is "endemic", which means that something "occurs locally" or is "common in a particular area", or only occurs there and cannot be found anywhere else in the world. However, unlike autochthonous, it does not necessarily have to have originated there.
In addition to the internationally used term autochthonous, there are two other terms that are mainly used in German-speaking countries such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland and South Tyrol. These are "Altes Gewächs" and "Landsorte". They are sometimes used interchangeably as synonyms.
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