natal

Everyday

1. (formal, science) To do with being born or with the time of birth: «natal day», «natal home». tree →
2. Natal: the old name of a province of South Africa (now KwaZulu-Natal), and a city in Brazil (a name). tree →

In the lessons

Mostly a science and formal word. In biology, «natal stream» is the river where a salmon hatched and returns to lay eggs; «natal» also appears in longer words: prenatal (before birth), postnatal (after birth), neonatal (newborn). It tells the reader the topic is birth.

Examples

• Salmon swim back to their natal river to lay their eggs. tree →
• Turtles return to their natal beach years later. tree →
• A neonatal unit looks after newborn babies in hospital. tree →
• Mum went to prenatal classes before my sister was born. tree →
• Natal Day is a holiday in some places, celebrating the founding of the town. tree →
• Durban is a city in KwaZulu-Natal. tree →

Note

Rare on its own; much more common inside prenatal, postnatal, neonatal and antenatal (UK: antenatal classes). Do not confuse with «nasal» (to do with the nose) or «naval» (to do with the navy).