[RightWhale]

Another small thing is the origin of the word aborigines. Rather than meaning original, it could mean 'from the mountains' or 'beyond the mountains.' If so the term would have the same origin as oriental, which means from the mountains or in the mountains. The mountains of Turkey, by the way, which was once considered the Orient. From Greek, oros, mountain. The word origin is derived from the Latin origo, rise, which would have a similar meaning as mountain, which is related to montere, to climb. The famous formula y = mx + b also contains the m which is short for French monter, to climb, thanks to Descartes.

[Verginius Rufus]

I can't follow your logic. The Australian Aborigines didn't call themselves that; that was a name bestowed on them by the Europeans who found them there. The term Aborigines had been used by the ancient Romans to mean the original inhabitants of their area...the word has nothing to do with the Greek word for mountain. The term Orient comes from the Latin oriens because it is the direction of the rising sun...the term Anatolia is applied to Asia Minor for the same reason, because it is in the direction of sunrise (Greek anatole from anatello, to rise).