nascent

adjective

na·​scent ˈna-sᵊnt  ˈnā- 

: coming or having recently come into existence

a nascent middle class

her nascent singing career

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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 related to words such as nation, native, nature, and innate.

Synonyms

• aborning
• budding
• inceptive
• inchoate
• incipient

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

Recent Examples on the Web

With the party fractured, all signs pointed to a victory for Republican Gov. Thomas Dewey of New York, as did the nascent polling conducted by George Gallup. —TIME, 3 Apr. 2024

But as a nascent industry, there’s a lot of room for experimentation within the confines of traditional brewing processes. —Shana Clarke, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

circa 1624, in the meaning defined above

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Medical Definition

nascent

adjective

na·​scent ˈnas-ᵊnt  ˈnās- 

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