nativitas

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *gnātīwitāts. Equivalent to nātīvus (“native, natural”) +‎ -tās, from nāscor (“I am born”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /naːˈtiː.u̯i.taːs/, [näːˈt̪iːu̯ɪt̪äːs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /naˈti.vi.tas/, [näˈt̪iːvit̪äs]

Noun

nātīvitās f (genitive nātīvitātis); third declension

1. birth, nativity
2. (capitalised) the birth of Jesus Christ
3. Christmas, the Nativity: the feast day celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ
4. Christmastide, Christmas season, the Twelve Days of Christmas: the season or time between Christmas Day and the Epiphany
5. Annunciation (used in conjunction with "annuntiatio")

Declension

Third-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	nātīvitās	nātīvitātēs
Genitive	nātīvitātis	nātīvitātum
Dative	nātīvitātī	nātīvitātibus
Accusative	nātīvitātem	nātīvitātēs
Ablative	nātīvitāte	nātīvitātibus
Vocative	nātīvitās	nātīvitātēs

Related terms

• nāscor
• nātiō
• nātīvus

Descendants

• Catalan: nativitat, Nativitat
• English: nativity, Nativity
• French: nativité, Nativité
• Italian: natività, Natività
• Portuguese: natividade, Natividade
• Romanian: nativitate
• Spanish: natividad, Navidad

References

• “nativitas”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• nativitas in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• nativitas in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.