nabyty

Nabyty is a Polish adjective meaning acquired or obtained, describing traits, knowledge, or conditions that arise after birth or through experience rather than being inherent at birth. It is the opposite of wrodzony (innate, congenital). The term is widely used in medicine, biology, psychology and everyday language to distinguish between characteristics formed by exposure, learning or external factors and those present from birth.

Origin and form: derived from the verb nabyć (to obtain, acquire). It agrees in gender and number: nabyty (masc.), nabyta (fem.), nabyte (neut.). In participial phrases, it often describes a state or attribute that has been gained, e.g., nabyta wiedza (acquired knowledge), nabyta odporność (acquired immunity).

Usage notes and examples: In medicine, odporność nabyta refers to adaptive immunity developed after exposure to antigens or vaccination, contrasted with odporność wrodzona. In biology or everyday language, cecha nabyta or umiejętność nabyta describes learned or environmentally developed traits, such as skills or habits (nabyta umiejętność or nawyki nabyte). Historically, discussions of cecha nabyta are often contrasted with cecha wrodzona, especially in debates about heredity.

See also: acquired immunity, innate immunity; nabycie as noun.