pro re nata

[ proh -re -nah-tah; English proh -ree -ney-tuh, rey ]

/ ˈproʊ ˈrɛ ˈnɑ tɑ; English ˈproʊ ˈri ˈneɪ tə, ˈreɪ /

Save This Word!

adverb Latin.

for an unforeseen need or contingency.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!

Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between "it’s" and "its" in this crafty quiz!

Question 1 of 8

On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

Origin of pro re nata

Literally, “for a thing born”

That Stone would slander the democratic, pro-Western, EuroMaidan revolution as a CIA coup is no surprise.
Oliver Stone’s Latest Dictator Suckup|James Kirchick|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The odds of getting re-arrested are a lot slimmer if a person has a job.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Many hold classes in their living rooms, asking students to help re-arrange and then later put back furniture.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread|IranWire|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He won re-election twice as governor of New York, and had the hubris to run for a fourth term before being defeated in 1994.
Mario Cuomo, a Frustrating Hero to Democrats, Is Dead at 82|Eleanor Clift|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST

They would have to get court approval to re-home their children.
Judge: Rehoming Kids Is Trafficking|Tina Traster|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some were even re-arrested for the same nefarious purpose, and the daily papers published their names on each occasion.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
But first he held a whispered colloquy with the Princess, whom he entreated, or persuaded, to re-enter her gorgeous vehicle.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
They are still comparatively supple, and any misplaced pinnæ may be re-arranged without any difficulty.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
A ray of Consciousness is passed over that impression and you re-read it, you re-awaken the record.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
In the next two days he re-wrote the twenty thousand, and on the fifth day he tore it into shreds and threw it to the winds.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux