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nascent

adjective
na·​scent | \ ˈna-sᵊnt How to pronounce nascent (audio) , ˈnā- How to pronounce nascent (audio) \

Definition of nascent

: coming or having recently come into existence a nascent middle class her nascent singing career
Synonyms & Antonyms The Origin of Nascent More Example Sentences Learn More about nascent

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The Origin of Nascent

Nascent comes from "nascens," the present participle of the Latin verb nasci, which means "to be born." It is a relative newcomer to the collection of English words that derive from that Latin verb. In fact, when the word nascent was itself a newborn, in the first quarter of the 17th century, other "nasci" offspring were already respectably mature. "Nation," "native," and "nature" had been around since the 1300s; "innate" and "natal," since the 1400s. More recently, we picked up some French descendants of "nasci": "née" in the 1700s and "Renaissance" in the 1800s. Our newest "nasci" word? It may well be "perinatology," which was first used in the late 1960s to name the specialized branch of medicine concerned with childbirth.

Examples of nascent in a Sentence

In the mid-'60s, Toronto was home to Yorkville, a gathering spot for draft resisters, a petri dish for a nascent coffeehouse and rock scene similar to the one developing in New York's Greenwich Village. — Mike Sager, Rolling Stone, 27 June 1996 It was almost 80 years ago that the Wright brothers from Ohio ventured to Kitty Hawk for the uplift its steady winds offered their nascent passion, airplanes. — Robert R. Yandle, Popular Photography, March 1993 A few centuries late, when the nascent science of geology was gathering evidence for the earth's enormous antiquity, some advocates of biblical literalism revived this old argument for our entire planet. — Stephen Jay Gould, Granta 16, Summer 1985 The actress is now focusing on her nascent singing career. one of the leading figures in the nascent civil-rights movement
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Recent Examples on the Web

 That group of players is still in a relatively nascent stage, and beyond Bates, who many are already pegging to hold the top spot and be the No. — Jeremy Woo, SI.com, "NBA Draft Dispatch: LaMelo Ball, Cade Cunningham and What’s Next," 22 Aug. 2019 Those studies led to a doctorate, and a dissertation on rearing crabs—a practice still in its nascent stages at the time. — Tik Root, Time, "Inside the Race to Build the World's First Commercial Octopus Farm," 21 Aug. 2019 The movement is in its nascent stages, but following the path of the cannabis in the US, different models of decriminalization are already emerging. — Olivia Goldhill, Quartz, "Oregonian activists are laying the legal groundwork for therapeutic magic mushrooms," 16 Aug. 2019 The women’s professional leagues are still in their nascent stages, and athletes in the WNBA and NWSL often have to supplement their salaries by playing back-to-back seasons in more than one league to make a livable wage. — Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, "List of highest-paid female athletes shows why equity fight must continue," 7 Aug. 2019 City staff said plans are still in the nascent stages, and potential sites for supportive housing are hard to find. — Hayat Norimine, Dallas News, "'Incompetent or intentional': Dallas council member slams staffers over proposed housing sites," 7 Aug. 2019 With the market still in a nascent stage, the scope for growth for all brands is tremendous. — Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz India, "Flipkart says Indians are adding Korean beauty products to their carts like never before," 25 July 2019 Despite predictions from tech moguls and CEOs about the skies eventually being full of package-bearing quadcopters, drone delivery is still in its nascent stages. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, "UPS seeks government approval for ‘advanced’ drone delivery service," 23 July 2019 Later, Hemsley would become a proponent of Alcoholics Anonymous, then in its nascent stages. — Marc Bona, cleveland.com, "1935: Cleveland hosts the 3rd All-Star Game - colorful characters, moments," 1 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nascent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of nascent

circa 1624, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for nascent

Latin nascent-, nascens, present participle of nasci to be born — more at nation

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More Definitions for nascent

nascent

adjective
How to pronounce nascent (audio) How to pronounce nascent (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of nascent

formal : beginning to exist : recently formed or developed

See the full definition for nascent in the English Language Learners Dictionary

nascent

adjective
na·​scent | \ ˈnas-ᵊnt How to pronounce nascent (audio) , ˈnās- How to pronounce nascent (audio) \

Medical Definition of nascent

1 : coming or having recently come into existence : beginning to develop nascent polypeptide chains
2 : of, relating to, or being an atom or substance at the moment of its formation usually with the implication of greater reactivity than otherwise nascent hydrogen

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