natal

¹

[ neyt-l ]

adjective

1. of or relating to a person's birth:

   celebrating one's natal day.

2. presiding over or affecting a person at birth:

   natal influences.

3. (of places) native:

   nostalgia for one's natal town.

Natal

²

[ nuh-tal, -tahl; Portuguese nuh-tawl ]

noun

1. a province in the E part of the Republic of South Africa. 35,284 sq. mi. (91,886 sq. km). : Pietermaritzburg.
2. a seaport in E Brazil.

natal

¹

/ ˈneɪtəl /

adjective

1. anatomy of or relating to the buttocks

Natal

²

noun

1. nəˈtæl a former province of E South Africa, between the Drakensberg and the Indian Ocean: set up as a republic by the Boers in 1838; became a British colony in 1843; joined South Africa in 1910; replaced by KwaZulu-Natal in 1994. Capital: Pietermaritzburg
2. naˈtal a port in NE Brazil, capital of Rio Grande do Norte state, near the mouth of the Potengi River. Pop: 1 049 000 (2005 est)

natal

³

/ ˈneɪtəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to birth
2. a rare word for native

   natal instincts

Other Words From

• Na·tali·an adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of natal¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin nātālis “of or relating to birth,” from nāt(us) “an offspring” (variant of gnātus “born,” past participle of nāscī “to be born”) + -ālis -al ¹; nascent ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of natal¹

from New Latin nates buttocks

Origin of natal²

C14: from Latin nātālis of one's birth, from nātus, from nascī to be born

Example Sentences

The painful irony of Barb’s battling cancer while Columbia River steelhead are returning to their natal waters in record low numbers landed like Barb’s smack to the back of the head—blunt and persuasive.

From Outside Online

After my pregnancy and a year of post-natal physical therapy, I had become close with the nurses and staff at my OBGYN’s office.

From The Daily Beast

Cephalopod neuroscientist and diver Sylvia Medeiros caught four wild octopuses, Octopus insularis, and brought them temporarily into a lab at the Brain Institute of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte in Natal, Brazil.

From Science News

Las Zadas—the only program of its type along the border—provides free health care, legal advice, products for babies, and pre- and post-natal care like vitamins, menstrual pads and breast pumps.

From Time

“Hence, there might be a net benefit, at least to some females, of breeding within the natal group,” the researchers speculate.

From The Daily Beast

Oh, OK, her first post-natal engagement, at a volleyball club, was dominated by photos of her top riding up her chest.

From The Daily Beast

A nanny and a maternity nurse cared for William, and Diana suffered severe post-natal depression.

From The Daily Beast

With the Moon and Jupiter opposing your natal Sun, weed out extra work, curb spending, and limit social interaction.

From The Daily Beast

With Jupiter opposing your natal Sun, there is a pressing need for a significant other in your life.

From The Daily Beast

From pre-natal days I was destined for the railway service, as an oyster to its shell.

From Project Gutenberg

Natal, a British colony, protected its sugar by taxing the sugar that came from another British colony, Mauritius.

From Project Gutenberg

The church of Smyrna celebrated the anniversary of their martyred bishops passion with joy and gladness as his natal day.

From Project Gutenberg

Their mission was however broken up through the incursions of the Boers, and they were compelled to flee to Natal.

From Project Gutenberg

We must cherish no illusions as to the importance of our natal world.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• common
• essential
• innate
• instinctive
• legitimate
• logical
• ordinary
• reasonable
• usual