English
nativity
Nativity comes from Latin nātīvitās ‘birth’, from nātīvus ‘native, natural’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to produce’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵenh₁-1‘to produce’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵn̥h₁tós1‘begotten, produced’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gnātos1‘born’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgnātus1
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnātus1‘born, arisen, made’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEīvus1
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnātīvus1‘native, natural’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnātīvitās2‘birth’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400nativite2
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nativite2
- Englishearliest quotation 1559nativity2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin nativitas
- 2 Wiktionary, English nativity
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1559, Cambridge University Press: “Be it therefore enacted by the authority of this…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵenh₁-Wiktionary, Latin nativitas‘to produce’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵn̥h₁tósWiktionary, Latin nativitas‘begotten, produced’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gnātosWiktionary, Latin nativitas‘born’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgnātusWiktionary, Latin nativitas
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnātusWiktionary, Latin nativitas‘born, arisen, made’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEīvusWiktionary, Latin nativitas
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnātīvusWiktionary, Latin nativitas‘native, natural’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnātīvitāsWiktionary, English nativity‘birth’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400nativiteWiktionary, English nativity
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nativiteWiktionary, English nativity
- Englishearliest quotation 1559nativityWiktionary, English nativity. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1559, Cambridge University Press: “Be it therefore enacted by the authority of this…”
Equivalent to native + -ity
Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to produce, beget’
…
Latin nātus ‘born’
Latin nātīvus ‘innate, inborn’
Old French natif
Middle English natif
English native
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to produce’
general, kind, king, german, engine, gender, nature, generation, pregnant, genuine, gene, genius, nation, oxygen, ken, genre, gentle, indigenous, hydrogen, genocide, genus, kin, ingenious, genital, germ, innate, nascent, gens, gentile, puny, glycogen, genial, genteel, gingerly, janata, jaunty, azadi, nomen, estrogenic, genitive, 105 more
through Latin gnātus
through Latin nātus ‘born, arisen, made’
natural, noel, nee, natal, nada, 6 more
through Latin īvus
positive, festival, festive, sativa, festivity, 10 more
through Latin nātīvus ‘native, natural’
Today it means
noun Someone's birth; the place, time and circumstances of a birth.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “nativity”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin nativitas. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- / nativity