Where does “nativity” come from?
Nativity comes from Middle French nativite, from Middle English nativite, ultimately referring to birth or the act of being born.
nativity (English): Someone's birth; the place, time and...
Definitions
- Someone's birth; the place, time and...
Ancestry of “nativity”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | nativite | — |
| 2 | Middle French | nativite | — |
| 3 | Latin | nativitas | birth, nativity; the birth of Jesus Christ;... |
| 4 | Latin | nātīvus | created, made |
| 5 | Latin | nātus | born, arisen, made |
| 6 | Latin | gnātus | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | gnātos | born |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵn̥h₁tós | begotten, produced |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵenh₁- | to produce, to beget, to give birth |