Word of the Day

: December 25, 2008

nativity

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noun nuh-TIH-vuh-tee

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What It Means

1 : the process or circumstances of being born; especially capitalized : the birth of Jesus

2 : a horoscope at or of the time of one's birth

3 : the place of origin

nativity in Context

On Christmas morning, church bells joyously pealed a reminder that the day marked the anniversary of the Nativity.

Did You Know?

"Nativity" is one of many words born of the Latin verb "nasci," which means "to be born." The gestation of the word was a long one. "Nasci" developed in Latin into "nativitas," meaning "birth," which passed through Middle French as "nativité" before entering English in the 14th century. "Nativity" has many siblings and cousins in our language; other terms of the lineage of "nasci" include "cognate," "innate," "nascent," "native," and "renaissance."