Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

nativity

/nəˈtɪv.ɪ.ti/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.18 in modern English

Syllables
na-tiv-i-ty
IPA
/nəˈtɪv.ɪ.ti/
14
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
4
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Someone's birth; the place, time and circumstances of a birth.

Countable; Dated; Uncountable

noun

Someone's birth considered as a means of astrology; a horoscope associated with a person's birth.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The birth of Jesus.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The festival celebrating the birth of Jesus, Christmas Day; the festival celebrating the birth of the Virgin Mary or the birth of Saint John the Baptist.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A set of figurines used to create a nativity scene.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Origin; founding.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Place of origin; place to which a species is native.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The quality of being native or innate.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English nativite, from Anglo-Norman nativite, Middle French nativite, and their source, Latin nātīvitās (“birth”). By surface analysis, native + -ity. See also naïveté.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *ǵenh₁-, nativite, nativitas

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /nəˈtɪv.ɪ.ti/
  • British English: /nəˈtɪv.ɪ.ti/

Usage

Inflected Forms

nativities (plural) the Nativity (canonical)

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce nativity?
The recorded pronunciation is /nəˈtɪv.ɪ.ti/.
What does nativity mean?
Someone's birth; the place, time and circumstances of a birth.
Where does nativity come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce nativity

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “nativity”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/nəˈtɪv.ɪ.ti/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “nativity”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “nativity” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.