natal

[ neyt-l ]

/ ˈneɪt l /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for natal on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

Words nearby natal

nasturtium, nasty, nasute, NAS/UWT, Nat, natal, natal chart, Natalie, natality, Natal orange, Natal plum

Other definitions for natal (2 of 2)

Natal

[ nuh-tal, -tahl; for 2 also Portuguese nuh-tawl ]

/ nəˈtæl, -ˈtɑl; for 2 also Portuguese nəˈtɔl /

noun

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.

OTHER WORDS FROM Natal

Na·tal·i·an, adjective, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use natal in a sentence

The painful irony of Barb’s battling cancer while Columbia River steelhead are returning to their natal waters in record low numbers landed like Barb’s smack to the back of the head—blunt and persuasive.
Why I’m Not Fishing the Grande Ronde River This Year|abarronian|October 16, 2021|Outside Online
After my pregnancy and a year of post-natal physical therapy, I had become close with the nurses and staff at my OBGYN’s office.
Why Aren’t More Doctors Talking About the COVID Vaccine and Our Periods?|Robyn Faith Walsh|July 1, 2021|The Daily Beast
Cephalopod neuroscientist and diver Sylvia Medeiros caught four wild octopuses, Octopus insularis, and brought them temporarily into a lab at the Brain Institute of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte in Natal, Brazil.
Octopus sleep includes a frenzied, colorful, ‘active’ stage|Laura Sanders|March 25, 2021|Science News
Las Zadas—the only program of its type along the border—provides free health care, legal advice, products for babies, and pre- and post-natal care like vitamins, menstrual pads and breast pumps.
Pregnant Asylum-Seekers Needed Help at the Border. Inside the Program That Provided Care—and Community|Jasmine Aguilera|March 3, 2021|Time

“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 Family|Helen Thompson|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Oh, OK, her first post-natal engagement, at a volleyball club, was dominated by photos of her top riding up her chest.
Kate Middleton's History of Flesh-Flashing Wardrobe Malfunctions|Tom Sykes|May 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A nanny and a maternity nurse cared for William, and Diana suffered severe post-natal depression.
Why Baby George Will be Growing Up More Middleton Than Windsor|Tom Sykes|July 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
With the Moon and Jupiter opposing your natal Sun, weed out extra work, curb spending, and limit social interaction.
What the Stars Hold for Your Week|Starsky + Cox|July 23, 2011|DAILY BEAST
With Jupiter opposing your natal Sun, there is a pressing need for a significant other in your life.
What the Stars Hold For Your Week|Starsky + Cox|July 17, 2011|DAILY BEAST
From pre-natal days I was destined for the railway service, as an oyster to its shell.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
Natal, a British colony, protected its sugar by taxing the sugar that came from another British colony, Mauritius.
Third class in Indian railways|Mahatma Gandhi
The church of Smyrna celebrated the anniversary of their martyred bishops passion with joy and gladness as his natal day.
The Catacombs of Rome|William Henry Withrow
Their mission was however broken up through the incursions of the Boers, and they were compelled to flee to Natal.
Robert Moffat|David J. Deane
We must cherish no illusions as to the importance of our natal world.
Astronomy for Amateurs|Camille Flammarion

British Dictionary definitions for natal (1 of 3)

natal¹

/ (ˈneɪtəl) /

adjective

of or relating to birth

a rare word for native natal instincts

Word Origin for natal

C14: from Latin nātālis of one's birth, from nātus, from nascī to be born

British Dictionary definitions for natal (2 of 3)

natal²

/ (ˈneɪtəl) /

adjective

anatomy of or relating to the buttocks

Word Origin for natal

from New Latin nates buttocks

British Dictionary definitions for natal (3 of 3)

Natal

noun

(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)

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

natal

Origin of natal

Words nearby natal

Other definitions for natal (2 of 2)

OTHER WORDS FROM Natal

Words related to natal

How to use natal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for natal (1 of 3)

Word Origin for natal

British Dictionary definitions for natal (2 of 3)

Word Origin for natal

British Dictionary definitions for natal (3 of 3)