Etymograph

English

neonate

Neonate comes from New Latin neonātus ‘newborn’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to produce’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵenh₁-1‘to produce’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. New Latinc. 1500–1900neonātus1‘newborn’
  3. Englishtodayneonate1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English neonate

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵenh₁-Wiktionary, English neonate‘to produce’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
  2. New Latinc. 1500–1900neonātusWiktionary, English neonate‘newborn’
  3. EnglishtodayneonateWiktionary, English neonate

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to produce’

kind, general, king, german, engine, gender, nature, pregnant, generation, genius, native, oxygen, nation, ken, genre, genuine, gentle, indigenous, genetic, gene, hydrogen, genocide, genus, kin, noel, naive, genital, ingenious, germ, gentile, natal, nee, gens, nascent, nada, innate, nativity, puny, glycogen, genial, 111 more

Today it means

noun A newborn infant; recently born baby.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “neonate”. 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- / neonate

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