natal
1 Americanadjective
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of or relating to a person's birth.
celebrating one's natal day.
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presiding over or affecting a person at birth.
natal influences.
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(of places) native.
nostalgia for one's natal town.
noun
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a province in the E part of the Republic of South Africa. 35,284 sq. mi. (91,886 sq. km). Pietermaritzburg.
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a seaport in E Brazil.
noun
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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
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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)
adjective
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of or relating to birth
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a rare word for native
natal instincts
adjective
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Other 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; nascent ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Their results indicate that as it formed in its natal disk, the early sun was likely pummeled by powerful winds and supernovae explosions—both sourced from massive stars.
From Scientific American
The threshold is tripped when a population of fish has 50 or fewer spawners return to natal streams for four consecutive years.
From Seattle Times
But the caviar rush of the 19th century ravaged breeding populations, which today remain in only 22 of the species’ 38 natal rivers.
From New York Times
In what marine biologists describe as one of nature’s most remarkable mysteries, migrating salmon take cues from the Earth’s geomagnetic field to traverse thousands of miles of saltwater and arrive at their natal river’s mouth.
From Seattle Times
The closure of some natal units has lead to overflowing maternity wards and long wait times, with opposition parties, doctors and nurses pointing blame at the former health minister.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
