natale

native, natal

adjective nah-TAH-leh Less Common

Origin: Latin natalis, 'of birth'

Also means

of or relating to Christmas

Usage Note

Natale as an adjective means 'native' or 'of one's birth' (la città natale = 'hometown', la lingua natale = 'native language'); capitalised, Natale is the noun for Christmas. Learners often see the lowercase adjective and the capitalised noun and wonder if they are the same word — they share the same Latin root and form, but context distinguishes them entirely.

Examples

"È tornata nella sua città natale."

Natural Translation

She returned to her hometown.

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