# Natal
## English
### Etymology

From Portuguese Natal (“Christmas”), because the region in South Africa was discovered by the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama on Christmas Day, 1497. Doublet of natal.

### Proper noun

Natal
* A former British colony and province of South Africa, itself beforehand the Natalia Republic. It is now called KwaZulu-Natal province.
* A municipality, the state capital of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

#### Derived terms

* Natal brown

#### Further reading

* Natal on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

### Anagrams

* alant

## Indonesian
### Alternative forms

* natal

### Etymology

From Malay Natal, from Portuguese Natal, from Old Galician-Portuguese Natal, from Latin nātālis [diēs Dominī] (“birthday of the Lord”).

### Pronunciation

* (Standard Indonesian) IPA: /ˈnatal/ [ˈna.t̪al]
* Rhymes: -atal
* Syllabification: Na‧tal

### Proper noun

Natal
* (Christianity) Christmas (festival observed on December 25 commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ)

### Further reading

* “Natal” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

## Malay
### Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese Natal (via any dialects in contact with the Portuguese like Ambonese, Ternate etc) or creoles like Kristang, from Old Galician-Portuguese Natal, from Latin nātālis [diēs Dominī] (“birthday of the Lord”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [na.tal]
** Audio (Malaysia):(file)
* Rhymes: -tal, -al
* Hyphenation: Na‧tal

### Proper noun

Natal (Jawi spelling ناتل)
* (Malacca, Indonesia, Christianity) Christmas; a festival/holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ and incorporating various Christian, pre-Christian, pagan and secular customs, which is celebrated on December 25 in most places.

#### Synonyms

* Krismas (rest of Malaysia, Singapore)

#### Descendants

* Indonesian: Natal

### References

* Wilkinson, Richard James (1932) “natal”, in A Malay-English dictionary (romanised), volume I, Mytilene, Greece: Salavopoulos & Kinderlis, page 167

### Further reading

* “Natal” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

## Old Galician-Portuguese
### Etymology

Inherited from Latin nātālis [diēs Dominī] (“birthday of the Lord”).

### Noun

Natal m
* Christmas

#### Related terms

* irmão (through PIE)
* nacença
* nacer
* nada
* nado
* natura
* natural
* natureza

#### Descendants

* Galician: Nadal
* Portuguese: Natal (see there for further descendants)

### Further reading

* Universo Cantigas - "Natal"

## Portuguese
### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /naˈtaw/ [naˈtaʊ̯]
* (Portugal) IPA: /nɐˈtal/ [nɐˈtaɫ]
* (Portugal) IPA: /nɐˈtal/ [nɐˈtaɫ]
** (Southern Portugal) IPA: /nɐˈta.li/
* Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
* Homophone: natal
* Hyphenation: Na‧tal

### Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese Natal, from Latin nātālis [diēs Dominī] (“birthday of the Lord”). Doublet of natal.
Compare Galician Nadal.

#### Proper noun

Natal m (plural Natais)
* Christmas (festival observed on December 25 commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ)

##### Derived terms

* árvore de Natal
* canção de Natal
* cântico de Natal
* cantiga de Natal
* Feliz Natal
* Mãe Natal
* natalino
* Pai Natal

##### Descendants

* → Gujarati: નાતાલ (nātāl)
* →⇒ Malay: Natal, Hari Natal
** → Indonesian: Natal
* → Konkani: नाताळ (nātāḷ)
* → Marathi: नाताळ (nātāḷ), नाथाळ (nāthāḷ)
* → Sinhalese: නත්තල (nattala)
* → Tetum: Natál
* → Tamil: நத்தார் (nattār)
* → Sindhi:
    Arabic script: ناتالُ (nātālu)
    Devanagari script: नातालु (nātālu)

### Etymology 2

From Natal (“Christmas”), because the region in South Africa was discovered by the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama on Christmas Day, 1497.

#### Proper noun

Natal m
* Natal (a former colony of the United Kingdom, in southern Africa)
* A municipality, the state capital of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

##### Derived terms

* natalense

##### Descendants

* → English: Natal

### Further reading

* “Natal”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025
* “Natal”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025