natation

[ney-tey-shuh n, na-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR natation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act or the skill of swimming.

Origin of natation

1535–45; < Latin natātiōn- (stem of natātiō), equivalent to natāt(us) (past participle of natāre to swim) + -iōn- -ion

Related formsna·ta·tion·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for natation

floating, aquatics, vertigo, giddiness, dizziness, bathing

Examples from the Web for natation

Historical Examples of natation

I wondered at what period of their lives they had acquired their dexterity at natation.
The Bible in Spain
George Borrow
Some of the girls had taken lessons in the "School of Natation" in the lower bay, and could swim very well.
A Little Country Girl
Susan Coolidge
Indeed one of these was in flood, and they never could have crossed it had it not been for Otter's powers of natation.
The People Of The Mist
H. Rider Haggard
Never, I think, did any swimmer in like circumstances perform such a remarkable feat of natation.
Punch, Or The London Charivari, Vol. 152, January 24, 1917
Various
It has long legs, the better to wade with, and webbed feet admirably adapted to natation.
Glimpses of Indian Birds
Douglas Dewar

British Dictionary definitions for natation

natation

noun

a formal or literary word for swimmingSee swimming

Derived Formsnatational, adjective

Word Origin for natation

C16: from Latin natātiō a swimming, from natāre to swim

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 natation

1650s, from Latin natationem (nominative natatio), noun of action from past participle stem of natare "to swim" (see natant).