natal
natal Lexical Profile
natal Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Relating to the time, place, or circumstances of a person's or animal's birth.
"Many migratory birds exhibit a strong drive to return to their natal breeding grounds each year."
Present at or associated with birth; congenital.
"The pediatrician closely monitored the infant's natal weight and early developmental milestones."
Relating to the buttocks.
"The physician examined the patient for a minor skin infection located near the natal cleft."
• noun
The capital city of the state of Rio Grande do Norte in northeastern Brazil, situated on the Atlantic coast and renowned for its extensive sand dunes.
South African A historical province on the eastern coast of South Africa, named by Vasco da Gama who sighted it on Christmas Day, now forming part of the modern province of KwaZulu-Natal.
"During the late 19th century, the British Empire engaged in several fierce conflicts over control of Natal."
Word Nuance & Usage
As an adjective, 'natal' is frequently encountered in scientific and medical contexts (such as 'natal dispersal' in biology or 'natal cleft' in anatomy), and is widely recognized in everyday language through its prefixed derivatives 'prenatal', 'neonatal', and 'postnatal'.
• Rhymes for natal
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the Latin 'natalis' meaning 'of or belonging to birth', which comes from 'natus', the past participle of 'nasci' (to be born). As a proper noun for places, it originates from the Portuguese word for Christmas, referencing the date of their discovery by European explorers.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.