nascent

adjective

na·​scent ˈna-sᵊnt How to pronounce nascent (audio) ˈnā- How to pronounce nascent (audio)
: 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.

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There’s a huge reliance on cloud gaming for marketing its brand, which is still a nascent, tiny part of the overall games market. Paul Tassi, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025 Together, these vehicles are laying the groundwork for a nascent lunar economy. Saurav Shroff, WIRED, 2 Jan. 2025 An artist and activist with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), Rotolo encouraged Dylan’s support for the nascent civil rights movement. Grant Wong, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Dec. 2024 Here’s a piece where Amanda Caswell at Tom’s Guide reports on this nascent technology, citing a Bloomberg report. John Werner, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for nascent 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of nascent was circa 1624

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Dictionary Entries Near nascent

Cite this Entry

“Nascent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nascent. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

Medical Definition

nascent

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