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• natal
  natal

  adjective

  of or relating to a person's birth.
• Natal
  Natal

  noun

  a province in the E part of the Republic of South Africa. 35,284 sq. mi. (91,886 sq. km). Pietermaritzburg.

natal

¹ American  

[nayt-l] / ˈneɪt l /

adjective

1. of or relating to a person's birth.

   celebrating one's natal day.

2. presiding over or affecting a person at birth.

   natal influences.

3. (of places) native.

   nostalgia for one's natal town.

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Natal ² American  

[nuh-tal, -tahl, nuh-tawl] / nəˈtæl, -ˈtɑl, nəˈtɔl /

noun

1. a province in the E part of the Republic of South Africa. 35,284 sq. mi. (91,886 sq. km). Pietermaritzburg.

2. a seaport in E Brazil.

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Natal ¹ British  

noun

1. a former province of E South Africa, between the Drakensberg and the Indian Ocean: set up as a republic by the Boers in 1838; became a British colony in 1843; joined South Africa in 1910; replaced by KwaZulu-Natal in 1994. Capital: Pietermaritzburg

2. a port in NE Brazil, capital of Rio Grande do Norte state, near the mouth of the Potengi River. Pop: 1 049 000 (2005 est)

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natal ² British  

/ ˈneɪtəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to birth

2. a rare word for native

   natal instincts

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natal ³ British  

/ ˈneɪtəl /

adjective

1. anatomy of or relating to the buttocks

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Other Word Forms

• Natalian
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of natal

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin nātālis “of or relating to birth,” from nāt(us) “an offspring” (variant of gnātus “born,” past participle of nāscī “to be born”) + -ālis -al ¹; cf. nascent ( def. )

Explanation

Use the adjective natal to describe something that has to do with birth, like an adopted child's natal family, or birth parents. The word natal shows up a lot when doctors talk about birth and pregnancy, especially in "prenatal," which describes what happens before a baby is born. You can also use natal for things that occur at the same time as a birth, like the position of the stars on that day or the town in which a child is born — her natal city. In the fourteenth century, natal meant "pertaining to birthdays," from the Latin word natus, "to be born."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

natal Natal

More generally, female dispersal and the tendency for males to remain in their natal group also constitute a predominant pattern among the great apes.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026

Yet the nuances of their natal charts show the potential for ego-driven friction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026

However, they can migrate to the ocean and become steelhead, where they typically grow larger before returning to their natal waters to spawn.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026

"It's the males that set up the territories so, over time, we tricked them that this was their natal site."

From BBC ● May 2, 2026

The eyases grew their second, heavier coat of natal down when they were about fourteen days old.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

In 1967, Pillay became the first woman to start a law practice in Natal Province, South Africa, beginning a decadeslong career in which she has presided over both criminal and civil cases.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Domingues found the ideal embodiment of this complex character in Kaiony Venâncio, an actor from the city of Natal who had mostly worked in short films.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026

KwaZulu was classified as a "homeland", a semi-autonomous area reserved for ethnic Zulus, which existed within Natal province.

From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026

Sunday’s rally coincided with that of the smaller opposition Inkatha Freedom Party, which has the populous KwaZulu Natal province as its stronghold and has committed to work with the main opposition.

From Seattle Times ● May 26, 2024

I then spent about a fortnight on a sugar plantation in Natal living with a group of African laborers and their families in a small community called Tongaat, just up the coast from Durban.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• common
• essential
• innate
• instinctive
• legitimate
• logical
• ordinary
• reasonable
• usual