Nativities

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The occurrences of births or the process of coming into existence, especially in relation to astrological charts
2. Events marking the beginning of life for individuals, often studied in the context of their horoscopic influences
3. The various aspects associated with being born, including the circumstances and implications in different cultures or beliefs

Etymology: "Nativities" is the plural of "nativity", and the plural is mostly used for the astrological charts cast for a person's birth, or for the depictions of Christ's birth. The singular noun is the one with the longer history. It came into Middle English as "nativite", borrowed through Anglo-Norman and Middle French from Latin "nātīvitās", meaning "birth". Latin "nātīvitās" is built on "nātīvus", "natural or belonging by birth", from "nascī", "to be born". English "native" comes from the same Latin stem, so "nativity" is, on the surface, "native" with the suffix "-ity" attached. A "native" was once simply someone born in a particular place, and "nativity" literally names the act of being born, an event that the plural form then multiplies into many individual births, charts, and scenes.

Synonyms: birth, origin