Natalis

Natalis is a Latin adjective meaning "of birth," from natus, born. In English, its derivatives include natal, natality, and related compounds, used across disciplines to denote birth or birth-related phenomena. The term appears in scientific, medical, cultural, and occasionally astrological contexts, typically as a prefix or attributive adjective.

In science and public health, natality denotes the birth rate of a population and is a component of demographic analysis. Related terms describe birth origins or events, such as natal origin (place of birth) and natal philopatry, the tendency of some species to return to their birthplace to reproduce. The broader category, birth-related concepts, also encompasses terms like antenatal (before birth), perinatal (around the time of birth), and neonatal (newborn).

In cultural and historical usage, dies natalis is a Latin expression meaning the birthday or anniversary of birth, often used to mark the founding or a commemorative day of a person or institution, such as a university. The phrase appears in medieval and scholarly Latin texts and in ceremonial Latin inscriptions.

In astrology and popular culture, a natal chart (also called a birth chart) maps the positions of the planets at the moment of a person’s birth and is used in interest areas ranging from personality interpretation to astrology-based guidance. The term natalis thus appears in both scientific vocabulary and cultural traditions, all centered on the concept of birth.