Where does “natural” come from?
Natural comes from Middle English natural, from Old French natural, from Latin naturalis, formed from Latin nascor meaning to be born, with the suffix -alis.
natural (English): That exists and evolved within the confines of an...
Definitions
- That exists and evolved within the confines of an...
Ancestry of “natural”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | natural | intrinsic, fundamental, basic; relating to... |
| 2 | Old French | natural | natural |
| 3 | Latin | nātūrālis | natural by birth, legitimate |
| 4 | Latin | nātūra | the nature, quality, substance or essence of a thing |
| 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 |