natus1 born; son
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Derivation
- First attested
- Naevius
- Ultimate origin
- Proto-Indo-European (*ǵenh₁-)
Pronunciation
Forms
nātus m (genitive nātī, feminine nāta); second declension[1] Also spelled gnātus.[2]
Etymology
It is the perfect participle of nāscor “to be born”, older ⟨gnātus⟩.[2][1] De Vaan reconstructs Proto-Italic *gnāto- (“born; son”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥h₁-tó- (“born”).[3] Cognate with Paelignian ⟨cnatois⟩ “to the sons”, Gaulish ⟨-gnātus⟩ and Sanskrit जात (jātá-, “born; son”).[3]
Earliest recorded meaning
De Vaan dates the noun “son” from Naevius.[3] Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC.[4]
Semantic evolution
As a participle it meant born, and as an adjective made by birth, constituted by nature, as in ita nātus est “that is his nature”, and in prō rē nātā “as things stand”, as in Cicero.[5] As a noun it meant a son, in the plural children, and also the young of animals.[2]
In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant son, offspring; in the plural children, posterity.[6] It survives in Italian nato and Romanian nat.[1] English nation and English native come from its derivatives nātiō and nātīvus.[7]
Timeline
Meanings
Adjective
Noun
Word family
natus2 birth, age
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Derivation
- First attested
- Plautus
- Ultimate origin
- Proto-Indo-European (*ǵenh₁-)
Pronunciation
Forms
nātus m (genitive nātūs); fourth declension[1] It is used only in the ablative singular, nātū.[8]
Etymology
It is an action noun from nāscor “to be born” with the suffix -tus.[8][1] De Vaan reconstructs a Proto-Italic ⟨u⟩-stem Proto-Italic *gnātu- (“birth”).[3]
Earliest recorded meaning
De Vaan dates nātū “by birth, of age” from Plautus.[3] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]
Semantic evolution
It occurs only as the ablative nātū, “by birth, in age”, in phrases like maior nātū “older” and māiōrēs nātū “elders”.[3][6] Pliny the Elder used it of plants, “in growth”.[8]
British Medieval Latin used it for status by birth, and for the wergeld that depended on it.[9]
Timeline
- c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses nātū.[3][4]
- 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder uses it of the growth of plants.[8][4]
Meanings
Noun
- (ablative nātū) By birth, in age: maior nātū “elder”.[3][6]
- (of plants) Growth.[8]
- (Medieval Latin) Status of birth; wergeld.[9]
Related words
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c d e f g h i de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
- ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
- ^ a b c Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
- ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ a b Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
Derived terms
Cite this entry
“Natus.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/natus. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.
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