Etymology Word of the Week – As some of you know, in addition to working in the Admissions Office, I also teach Latin at Saint Ignatius and am something of a "word nerd." Thus, each week, I’ll sneak a vocabulary word (sometimes derived from Latin, sometimes not) into the e-blast. Here, then, is this week’s edition of the Etymology Word of the Week.
Nativity - “the birth of Jesus, the central figure of the religion of Christianity; or, an artistic depiction of the birth of Jesus, often involving statues of the figures present at the scene.” From the Latin adjective nativus meaning “born, native” which comes from the Latin verb nascor, nasci, natus meaning “to be born.” (all information is from www.wikipedia.org, www.etymonline.com and/or www.dictionary.com).
RELATED WORDS/PHRASES – native, naive, nature, nation, natal, nascent, nee, innate, genesis, Noel
SAMPLE SENTENCE - “Our next-door neighbors have a beautiful Nativity scene decoration in their front yard.”
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE: “God bless us, every one!” Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol