natal
[neyt-l]
- of or relating to a person's birth: celebrating one's natal day.
- presiding over or affecting a person at birth: natal influences.
- (of places) native: nostalgia for one's natal town.
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Origin of natal
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin nātālis of, belonging to one's birth, natal, equivalent to nāt(us) an offspring (variant of gnātus, past participle of nāscī to be born) + -ālis -al1
Natal
[nuh-tal, -tahl; for 2 also Portuguese nuh-tawl]
- a province in the E part of the Republic of South Africa. 35,284 sq. mi. (91,886 sq. km). Capital: Pietermaritzburg.
- a seaport in E Brazil.
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Rio Grande do Norte
[ree-oo grahn-di doo nawr-ti]
- a state in E Brazil. 20,464 sq. mi. (53,000 sq. km). Capital: Natal.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for natal
Contemporary Examples
“Hence, there might be a net benefit, at least to some females, of breeding within the natal group,” the researchers speculate.
Mongooses, Meerkats, and Ants, Oh My! Why Some Animals Keep Mating All in the FamilyHelen Thompson
December 29, 2014
With the Moon and Jupiter opposing your natal Sun, weed out extra work, curb spending, and limit social interaction.
With Jupiter opposing your natal Sun, there is a pressing need for a significant other in your life.
Historical Examples
Still I must ask the lady to make her statement in her natal name.
The Eternal CityHall Caine
There were those who knew the bright history of their natal country and adored it.
The PrisonerAlice Brown
That they were seen in Natal, South Africa, six months before the eruption.
The Book of the DamnedCharles Fort
The Company could no more have taken the Transvaal than it could have taken Natal.
Impressions of South AfricaJames Bryce
He had commanded Colonials during the hardest fighting in Natal.
On the Heels of De WetThe Intelligence Officer
natal1
- of or relating to birth
- a rare word for native natal instincts
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Word Origin
C14: from Latin nātālis of one's birth, from nātus, from nascī to be born
natal2
- anatomy of or relating to the buttocks
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Word Origin
from New Latin nates buttocks
Natal
- (nəˈtæl) 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
- (Portuguese naˈtal) 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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Rio Grande do Norte
- a state of NE Brazil, on the Atlantic: much of it is semiarid plateau. Capital: Natal. Pop: 2 852 784 (2002). Area: 53 014 sq km (20 469 sq miles)
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for natal
adj.
late 14c., "of or pertaining to birthdays," from Latin natalis "pertaining to birth or origin," from natus, past participle of nasci "to be born" (Old Latin gnasci; see genus).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
natal
(nāt′l)- Of, relating to, or accompanying birth.
- Of or relating to the buttocks.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.