Innates

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. Possessing qualities or characteristics present from birth that are natural rather than acquired; referring to inherent attributes or instincts existing without prior experience; denoting traits or abilities that are intrinsic and not learned
2. Describing features or tendencies existing inherently from the beginning of existence, independent of environmental influence; relating to inborn capacities or dispositions that manifest without external teaching; indicating natural-born qualities or skills
3. Relating to elements or properties that are permanently ingrained in an individual from birth, not developed through learning or practice; concerning innate potentials or natural predispositions; characterizing fundamental aspects ingrained by nature rather than nurture

Etymology: "Innates" is simply the third-person singular form of the verb "innate," which was formed from the adjective. The adjective goes back to Latin "innatus," meaning "inborn" or "innate," built from "in-" ("in" or "at") and "nascor" ("to be born"). That same root gives English "natal," "native," and "nature." The adjective reached English in the 1420s, through Middle English, and its literal sense is "born into" something. A trait that is innate is one you were, in effect, born in. The verb came much later, in 1602, derived from the adjective by adding the verb-forming suffix "-ate," which is why "innate" can now describe a quality and, less commonly, a process of making something inborn.

Synonyms: inborn, inherent, natural, intrinsic, native

Antonyms: acquired, learned, external, extrinsic, foreign