Natal

See also: natal and nätäl'

English

Etymology

From Portuguese Natal (“Christmas”), because the region in South Africa was discovered by the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama on Christmas Day, 1497.

Proper noun

Natal

1. A municipality, the state capital of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
2. A former British colony and province of South Africa. It is now called KwaZulu-Natal province.

Translations

capital of Rio Grande do Norte

• Russian: Ната́ль m (Natálʹ)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

former British colony

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Anagrams

• alant

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Indonesian

Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese Natal.

Proper noun

Natal

1. Christmas

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Portuguese

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Galician-Portuguese natal, nadal, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin nātālis [diēs Dominī] (“birthday of the Lord”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɐ.ˈtaɫ/
• IPA^(key): /na.ˈtaw/
• Homophone: natal
• Hyphenation: Na‧tal
• Rhymes: -aw

Proper noun

Natal m (plural Natais)

1. Christmas (festival observed on December 25 commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ)
2. A municipality, the state capital of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
3. Natal (a former colony of the United Kingdom, in southern Africa)

Descendants

• Marathi: नाताळ (Nātāl)
• Gujarati: નાતાલ (Nātāl)
• Indonesian: Natal
• Tetum: Natál