nascor

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈnaːs.kɔr]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈnas.kor]^[1]

Forms

nāscor (present infinitive nāscī, perfect active nātus sum or gnātus sum); third conjugation, deponent^[1] The old spelling with gn-, as gnatus, is found in early Latin and in poetry.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *gnāsk-e/o- (“to be born”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥h₁-sk-e/o- (“to be born”), with the inchoative suffix, from the root *ǵenh₁- (“to beget”).^[4][1][5] The initial ⟨gn-⟩ was simplified to ⟨n-⟩.^[1] gignō “to beget”, nātiō and nātūra come from the same root.^[6][1]

Cognate with Sanskrit जात (jātá-, “born”) and Ancient Greek γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “to be born, become”).^[4][6][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Plautus onwards,^[4] as in the Menaechmi: “twin sons were born to him”.^[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant to be born, and of plants and parts of the body to grow, as Horace's feathers sprouting on his fingers.^[6] Stars were said to be born when they rose, and days when they dawned, as Virgil's “arise, Lucifer”.^[6] Abstract things came into being, as Plautus' quarrel that “was born” between husband and wife.^[6]

Natus gave a person's age, as Plautus' “more than thirty years old”, and crops, wines and animals were said to be born in a place or year.^[6] Cicero calls natural law non scripta sed nata, “not written but born”.^[6] It also expressed descent, origin and natural disposition, as Ovid's “you were not born for the horse”.^[6] It survives as Romanian naște, Italian nascere, French naître and Portuguese nascer.^[1] English nation and native come from its derivatives natio and nativus.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it for being born and for age.^[6][8]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it for parts of the body forming.^[6][8]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero speaks of law that is “born, not written”.^[6][8]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of the morning star rising.^[6][8]
• c. 1300 – English nation is first recorded.^[7]
• late 14th century – English native is first recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To be born.^[6][3]
2. To grow, spring up.^[6][1]
3. (of stars) To rise, (of day) to dawn.^[6]
4. To arise, come into being.^[6][1]
5. natus (with years) Aged, years old.^[6][1]
6. To be produced (naturally).^[6]
7. To spring (from), descend (from).^[6]
8. (perfect participle) To be born for, suited to.^[6]

Word family

• agnāscor
• dēnāscor
• ēnāscor
• innāscor
• internāscor
• renāscor

Related words

• cognātus
• nāscēns
• nāscō
• nātālīcius
• nātālis
• nātiō
• nātīvus
• nātūra
• praegnās
• gignō
• English nation
• English native
• English nature

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
3. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de