natation

[ ney-tey-shuhn, na- ]
See synonyms for natation on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an act or the skill of swimming.

Origin of natation

1
1535–45; <Latin natātiōn- (stem of natātiō), equivalent to natāt(us) (past participle of natāre to swim) + -iōn--ion

Other words from natation

  • na·ta·tion·al, adjective

Words Nearby natation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use natation in a sentence

  • I wondered at what period of their lives they had acquired their dexterity at natation.

    The Bible in Spain | George Borrow
  • Never, I think, did any swimmer in like circumstances perform such a remarkable feat of natation.

  • It has long legs, the better to wade with, and webbed feet admirably adapted to natation.

    Glimpses of Indian Birds | Douglas Dewar
  • Indeed one of these was in flood, and they never could have crossed it had it not been for Otter's powers of natation.

    The People Of The Mist | H. Rider Haggard
  • Some of the girls had taken lessons in the "School of natation" in the lower bay, and could swim very well.

    A Little Country Girl | Susan Coolidge

British Dictionary definitions for natation

natation

/ (nəˈteɪʃən) /


noun
  1. a formal or literary word for swimming: See swimming

Origin of natation

1
C16: from Latin natātiō a swimming, from natāre to swim

Derived forms of natation

  • natational, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012