Where does “Natal” come from?
Natal comes from Portuguese Natal, from Old Portuguese natal, from Latin natalis meaning "of birth," derived from nascor meaning "to be born," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁-.
Natal (English): Natal, region in South Africa
Definitions
- Natal, region in South Africa
Ancestry of “Natal”, step by step
Natal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Portuguese natal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portuguese | natal | natal; native |
| 2 | Old Portuguese | natal | — |
| 3 | Latin | nātālis | natal (of one's birth) |
| 4 | Latin | nātus | born, arisen, made |
| 5 | Latin | gnātus | — |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | gnātos | born |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵn̥h₁tós | begotten, produced |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵenh₁- | to produce, to beget, to give birth |
via Middle English natal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | natal | — |