natale Italian · revision 37977

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=late 13th century, Novellino|origins=la nāscor}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /naˈta.le/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''natale''' ''m'' (plural natali)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la|nātālis|t=of birth]], an adjective in [[m|la|-ālis]] from [[m|la|nātus|t=born]], the past participle of [[m|la|nāscor|t=to be born]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)^(Wiktionary) The name of the feast comes from Christian Latin, where the adjective was used alone for a phrase meaning “the birthday of Christ”.^(Nocentini 2010)^(Wiktionary) The GDLI treats the adjective as a learned word.^(GDLI|11, 212) DEI calls the word western pan-Romance: the feast is [[fr|Noël]], [[oc|Nadal]], and [[ca|Nadal]].^(DEI|2551)^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935) The ⟨o⟩ of the French word, first found in the Polyptych of Irminon, has not been explained.^(REW 1935)

+

+ Latin [[m|la|nāscor]], earlier ⟨gnāscor⟩, goes back to [[itc-pro|*gnāsk-e/o-]] and [[ine-pro|*ǵnh₁-sk-e/o-|t=to be born]].^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The feast of Christmas is the first sense on record, at the end of the 13th century in the ''Novellino'';^(DELI 1999) Florentine texts of 1277–1296 already have ''pasqua di Natale''.^(DELI 1999) Zingarelli dates the word to 1296.^(Zingarelli 2010) The sense “birthday” is found early in the 14th century, in an Italian version of Valerius Maximus.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The adjective “of one's birth”, as in ''terra natale'' “native land”, is recorded from Boccaccio (about 1336); in the ''Filocolo'' he writes of a ''natal sito'', a birthplace.^(DELI 1999)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) The plural ''natali'' “birth, descent” appears in Pico della Mirandola (before 1494), and Gasparo Gozzi used it for lineage in the 18th century.^(DELI 1999)^(DEI|2551) The ''Natale di Roma'' is the anniversary of the city's traditional foundation on 21 April 753 BC.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ In some Alpine Lombard dialects and in Sardinia the word came to name the month of December: Ticinese ''denadà'', Sassarese ''naddali''.^(DEI|2551)^(REW 1935) DEI notes that Tuscany long preferred ''pasqua di ceppo'' for the feast.^(DEI|2551) Proverbs and phrases include ''Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi'' “Christmas with your family, Easter with whoever you like” and ''durare da Natale a Santo Stefano'' “to last no time at all”.^(Treccani 2011)^(Zingarelli 2010) ''Babbo Natale'' is Father Christmas.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1277–1296 – ''Pasqua di Natale'' appears in Florentine texts.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Late 13th century – ''Natale'' “Christmas” appears in the ''Novellino''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Early 14th century – ''Natale'' “birthday” is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+ * c. 1336 – Boccaccio uses the adjective ''natale''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1354 – Nocentini's date for the name of the feast.^(Nocentini 2010)

+ * Before 1494 – Pico della Mirandola uses ''natali'' “birth”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 16th century – ''Natalizio'' is recorded.^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''Natale'': [[m|en|Christmas]], the Christian feast of the birth of Jesus on 25 December; the Christmas season: ''Per Natale torniamo dai nonni.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(literary)'' Birthday; its anniversary: ''il Natale di Roma'', the anniversary of Rome's foundation.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''natali'' (plural): birth, origin, descent: ''un uomo di umili natali'', ''dare i natali'', to be the birthplace of.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|native]], of one's birth: ''Tornò nel suo paese natale.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(rare)'' Of Christmas, the same as ''natalizio''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[natalizio]]

+ * [[natalità]]

+ * [[natalino]]

+ * [[prenatale]]

+ * [[perinatale]]

+ * [[postnatale]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[nato]]

+ * [[nascere]]

+ * [[nativo]]

+ * [[natio]]

+ * [[la|nātālis]]

+ * [[fr|Noël]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The feast is written with a capital, ''Natale''; the other senses are lowercase.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011) ''Buon Natale!'' is the usual Christmas greeting.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) ''Natale'' is also a male given name.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}