nativity
noun
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Nativity is one of many words born of the Latin verb nāscī, which means “to be born.” The gestation of the word was a long one. Nāscī developed in Late Latin into nativitas, meaning “birth,” which passed through Anglo-French as nativité before entering English in the 14th century. Nativity has many siblings and cousins in our language; other terms of the lineage of nāscī include nature, innate, nascent, native, and renaissance.
Examples of nativity in a Sentence
Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 8 Dec. 2023
In addition to hundreds of live poinsettias, thousands of lights, a nativity scene, and a 30-foot Christmas tree, the lobby of The Jefferson also boasts a massive gingerbread display.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 8 Dec. 2023
Historically, each calendar window revealed an image, often from the nativity scene.
—Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 23 Nov. 2023
Garabedian assumes the fatherly supporting role of St. Joseph, the carpenter, shown in the background building a domestic shelter reminiscent of those in Renaissance nativities by Giotto or Botticelli.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023
Many of my memories are like this: A single scene, a tableau as still and bounded as a nativity.
—Sallie Tisdale, Harper's Magazine, 16 Oct. 2023
Travelers can find twinkly lights and nativity scenes just about everywhere, along with a number of Christmas markets in places like Lisbon and Porto.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 10 Nov. 2023
The show includes live reindeer (Comet and Cupid), a live nativity scene on weekends, and concessions, including s'mores, hot chocolate, and cider.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 6 Nov. 2023
The Comfy Hour nativity scene captures the essence of the season.
—Cristian Esteban, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nativity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Middle English nativite, from Anglo-French nativité, from Medieval Latin nativitat-, nativitas, from Late Latin, birth, from Latin nativus
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
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Cite this Entry
“Nativity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nativity. Accessed 9 Jan. 2024.
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Kids Definition
nativity
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on nativity
Nglish: Translation of nativity for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about nativity
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