Natal, noun

/nəˈtæl/
Origin:
PortugueseShow more Portuguese Natal Christmas Day; the region being so named by Vasco da Gama because its coast was first sighted on Christmas Day, 1497.
A name given to that area of South Africa situated on the east coast between the Umtamvuna river in the south, and the Swaziland and Mozambique borders in the north.
Note:
Historically one of the four provinces of the Union (later Republic) of South Africa, Natal was formally renamed ‘KwaZulu-Natal’ in 1994. Used attributively, in combining forms, and in special collocations.
a.
Natal Code Law (in historical contexts), a collection of laws promulgated in 1891 controlling all aspects of the lives of black people in Natal ;
Natal Fever colloquial, apathy or chronic languor, induced by heat and humidity ;
Natal rum obsolete, a spirit distilled from sugar refuse ;
Natal sore Pathology, a bacterial skin condition characterized by spreading ulcers; cf. veld sore (see veld sense 5) .
1932 Union Govt document (title)Natal Code of Native Law.
1970 E. Kahn in Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. I. 477The Governor-General..became the Supreme Chief of all Bantu save those in the Cape Province, armed with all the extensive powers of control given to him by the Natal Code of Native Law.
1991 J. Maclennan in Sunday Tribune 15 Dec. 1In the Natal judgment Mr Justice Didcott ruled as invalid a proclamation by Mr De Klerk which amended the Natal Code...Now the situation reverts to what it was before..and blacks may only carry ‘cultural weapons’ such as assegais, sword sticks and battle axes under specific circumstances.
1991 B. King in Sunday Tribune 15 Dec. 5For almost a century nobody had been at liberty to carry a dangerous weapon in terms of the Natal Code.
1909 E. London Dispatch 7 June 4Unwillingness to work...It’s an old malady in South Africa, remarks the ‘Argus.’ We call it ‘Natal fever’.
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 336Natal fever, An indisposition to exert one’s self, induced by the intense heat of summer, is thus euphemistically designated.
1914 S.P. Hyatt Old Transport Rd 174Native Commissioners — most of them were Natal men, suffering from ‘Natal Fever,’ chronic tiredness.
1951 O. Walker Shapeless Flame 223What with war fever, Natal fever and this heat, my dear, I’m beginning to believe the poet.
1980 Sunday Times 14 Sept. (Mag. Sect.) 4I come from Durban, where Natal Fever is another name for apathy and indifference.
1986 Fair Lady 5 Mar. 113Natal Fever is a national joke. Everyone knows what it means. Or rather, what it used to mean..because Durban is no longer the colonial backwater it used to be: its citizens are shaking off the sundowner syndrome.
1990 J. Farquharson in Sunday Times 30 Dec. 12One Maritzburg lady, roused in the middle of the night and told to take shelter in the jail because the Zulus were coming, retorted: ‘I will do nothing of the kind! I am in bed and intend to remain there!’ Of course, Natal fever gets due mention.
1993 Business Day 27 May (Centenarians) 9A banana leaning against a wall, partly covered by a Mexican hat, said, ‘Okay, so we’ve got Natal fever?’
1882 C. Du Val With Show through Sn Afr. II. 177The Canteen-keepers..were nimbly pocketing the shillings of their defenders in exchange for..‘Natal Rum’.
1882 Lady F.C. Dixie In Land of Misfortune 147A great deal of singing seemed to be going on inside, and the fumes of tobacco and strong smell of that disgusting concoction, Natal rum, pervaded the air.
1885 W. Greswell Our S. Afr. Empire II. 204No public analyst has, as yet, exposed to light the horrible ingredients of ‘Cape smoke’ and ‘Natal rum.’
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 337Natal rum, A vile spirit distilled from sugar refuse and nothing behind ‘Cape smoke’ in its effects.
1851 J. & M. Churchill Merchant Family in Natal (1979) 32Begin to suffer from Natal sores. Painful and disagreeable.
1852 C. Barter Dorp & Veld 13The Natal sore, a very painful boil.
1862 J.S. Dobie S. Afr. Jrnl (1945) 32Another evil of the country is ‘Natal sores.’ That boy Norton is a mass of ugly itchy-looking red spots produced by little ticks about the size of a pin’s point which stick themselves into the skin, preferring the more tender parts, and torment considerably. If scratched they become very nasty sores.
1870 C. Hamilton Life & Sport in S.-E. Afr. 50An open blain or blister, generally ending in a running tumour. It is known among the natives and colonists as the ‘Natal sore,’ and is of so violent a kind as to have seriously affected those who have neglected its first appearance.
1887 J.W. Matthews Incwadi Yami 16As peculiar to this colony, I ought to mention the Natal sore, a species of inflammatory boil..with which new arrivals were almost always troubled. These sores were often produced by the irritating bite..of the tick..and also by the bite of the mosquito.
1903 D. Blackburn Burgher Quixote 210I never wash my hands, having Natal sores on them.
1915 O.S. Ormsby Pract. Treatise on Diseases of Skin 360As distinguished from the Natal sore, which was chiefly found in the lower part of that country, the veldt sore was most abundant in the high, barren table-lands.
1951 G. Panja in R.B.H. Gradwohl Clin. Trop. Med. 641Tropical Phagedenic Ulcer,..Synonyms..Natal sore.
b. In the names of plants:
Natal bottlebrush, see bottlebrush;
Natal cotton plant, the plant Ipomoea mauritiana of the Convolvulaceae;
Natal ebony obsolete, the umzimbeet, Millettia grandis;
Natal ivy, the succulent plant Senecio macroglossus of the Asteraceae;
Natal lily, any of several bulbous plants: (a) Gladiolus dalenii of the Iridaceae; (b) Clivia miniata, any of several species of Crinum, or Amaryllis belladonna, all of the Amaryllidaceae;
Natal mahogany, either of two evergreen, timber-bearing trees: (a) Trichilia emetica of the Meliaceae; its wood; Cape Mahogany sense (a), see Cape sense 2 a; essenhout sense b; umkhuhlu; (b) ?obsolete Kiggelaria africana of the Flacourtiaceae;
Natal beefsteak mushroom, see beefsteak mushroom sense a;
Natal plum, the amatungulu, Carissa macrocarpa.
1868 W.H. Harvey Genera of S. Afr. Plants 254B[atata] paniculata, or ‘Natal Cotton-plant,’ a widely-dispersed tropical species, grows at Natal.
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 335Natal cotton plant, Batata paniculata.
1966 C.A. Smith Common Names 348Natal cotton plant, Ipomoea mauritiana...The vernacular name is derived from the fact that the species was first noted in Natal.
1851 R.J. Garden Diary. I. (Killie Campbell Africana Library MS29081) 24 JuneThe Umzimbete or Natal Ebony grows in the kloofs of the Ilovu but does not attain the size it does in the Amaponda country.
1917 R. Marloth Dict. of Common Names of Plants 60Natal ivy, Senecio Macroglossus. Not allied to the European ivy.
1975 J.M. Gibson Wild Flowers of Natal 112Senecio macroglossus,..At forest margins one sometimes sees this Natal Ivy draping trees and flowering in July.
1856 Cape of G.H. Almanac & Annual Register 283The Natal lily is the perfection of beauty and fragrance.
1859 R.J. Mann Col. of Natal 152Most places are commonly covered with another very beautiful amaryllid..which is termed par excellence the ‘Natal lily’. The flowers of this striking plant are large white pink-ribbed bells, hanging in enormous bunches round the summit of the flower-stalk.
1876 H. Brooks Natal 169Another very magnificent amaryllid, which is distinguished par excellence as the ‘Natal lily’ (Amaryllis belladonna), presents itself in moist spots.
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 336Natal lily,..Gladiolus psittacinus...The pink veined perianth of this exquisite flower makes it a general favourite. Amaryllis belladonna is incorrect, as it is only found in the Cape Districts and does not extend farther East than Riversdale.
1966 C.A. Smith Common Names 348Natallelie (-lily), Crinum moorei. The vernacular name was recorded about 1850, though the plants were mistaken for Amaryllis belladonna. Gladiolus cooperi..; G. psittacinus.
c1968 S. Candy Natal Coast Gardening 24Gladiolus, The indigenous, Autumn-flowering Gladiolus psittacinus (‘Natal Lily’)..should be grown.
1903 H. Stone Timbers of Commerce 3 (heading)Natal mahogany.
1907 T.R. Sim Forests & Forest Flora 128Kiggelaria africana, Wild Peach, Natal Mahogany..does best in open forest.
1907 T.R. Sim Forests & Forest Flora 161This tree (sc. Trichilia emetica)..is known in the Transkei as Cape Mahogany, Manuti Mahogany, or Natal Mahogany.
1972 Palmer & Pitman Trees of Sn Afr. II. 1071Trichilia emetica Vahl. Woodland mahogany, Natal mahogany...One of the widespread trees of Africa.
1991 Grocott’s Mail 8 Mar. 10A specimen of the Natal Mahogany (Trichilia emetica) was planted...The Natal Mahogany..usually attains a height of 10m, but under ideal conditions can grow up to 24m high.
1859 R.J. Mann Col. of Natal 158The Amatungulu (Natal plum) is the berry of an evergreen periwinkle (Vinca) growing as a small shrub on the sea-coast lands. The fruit is about the size of a damson.
1876 H. Brooks Natal 168A plant..bearing a really valuable fruit which is familiarly known as the Natal plum.
1970 Country Life (U.K.) 17 Dec. 1230Scarlet ixoras and the spiny carissa (Natal plum) are used as evergreen hedges.
1972 Palmer & Pitman Trees of Sn Afr. 1901Carissa macrocarpa,..Amatungulu, Natal plum..is a common and often conspicuous species in coastal bush, on sand dunes and on the edges of coastal forest...Although it is often a low bush, it can grow into a small tree up to 4 m high, many-branched, spiny, with dense evergreen foliage.
1989 Your Gardening Questions Answered (Reader’s Digest Assoc.) 328Carissa,..Also called amatungulu or Natal plum.
c. In the names of birds and insects:
Natal fly obsolete, the Tumbu or skin maggot-fly Cordylobia anthropophaga of the Calliphoridae, the larvae of which burrow into and feed upon human flesh;
Natal francolin (formerly also Natal pheasant), the francolin Francolinus natalensis; bush partridge sense (b) and coast partridge, see partridge sense b; coast pheasant, see pheasant sense b; Namaqua pheasant, see Namaqua noun sense 2;
Natal robin-chat, now usually Natal robin, the bird Cossypha natalensis of the Turdidae, with greyish-brown back and orange breast.
1905 Addresses & Papers (Brit. & S. Afr. Assoc. Agric. Science) III. 532 (Pettman)The Natal fly is said to occur; its larva causes annoyance by burrowing into the human skin, where it pupates and causes painful inflammation.
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 336Natal fly, One of the Muscidea, probably Lucilia or Ochromya sp., which has the objectionable habit when in the larval condition of burrowing into and feeding upon living human flesh.
1892 W.L. Distant Naturalist in Tvl 105 (Pettman)The Natal Francolin, called by the Dutch the Namaqua pheasant.
1906 Stark & Sclater Birds of S. Afr. IV. 213Natal Francolin,..‘Coast Partridge’ of Natal; ‘Namaqua Pheasant’ of Transvaal Boers.
1947 J. Stevenson-Hamilton Wild Life in S. Afr. 274The Natal francolin (Francolinus natalensis)..may be recognized by its red bill and legs, and white breast with V-shaped black markings.
1970 O.P.M. Prozesky Field Guide to Birds of Sn Afr. 88Natal Francolin,..Found mostly in acacia scrub.
1984 G.L. Maclean Roberts’ Birds of Sn Afr. 175Natal Francolin,....Size medium; looks uniform dull brown above; below black, barred and scaled with white..; bill and legs orange-red.
1835 A. Smith Diary (1940) II. 144The Natal pheasant is very common here (and is) to be seen running about the banks of the Marique in the evenings and mornings, and when disturbed flies to the thickets edging the stream.
1901 Stark & Sclater Birds of S. Afr. II. 210Natal robin-chat,..Cossypha natalensis.
1923 Haagner & Ivy Sketches of S. Afr. Bird-Life 172The Natal Robin-Chat (Cossypha natalensis) is blue-grey above; head orange-brown streaked with bluish; nape and rump orange-brown; upper tail-coverts chestnut; entire under-surface orange-red.
1973 G.J. Broekhuysen in Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. IX. 384Some species, the Cape robin and the Natal robin, for example, are good singers.
1983 K.B. Newman Newman’s Birds 328Natal Robin, Cossypha natalensis...Entirely orange from above the eyes and sides of head to undertail, no white eyebrow.
1990 Weekend Post 21 July (Leisure) 3In the course of an hour three different types of sunbird were seen, plus a Natal robin.
1991 Philatelic Bulletin (No. 46)The Natal Robin frequents the evergreen forests, feeding on insects and arachnids on the dimly-lit forest floor...It is most often noted by its repetitive bisyllabic purring call.
A name given to that area of South Africa situated on the east coast between the Umtamvuna river in the south, and the Swaziland and Mozambique borders in the north.
a collection of laws promulgated in 1891 controlling all aspects of the lives of black people in Natal
apathy or chronic languor, induced by heat and humidity
a spirit distilled from sugar refuse
a bacterial skin condition characterized by spreading ulcers;
Derivatives:
Hence Nataliana  noun [English suffix -ana, -iana (from Latin), denoting collectables], artefacts and collectables of historical interest pertaining to Natal; Nataline adjective  nonce, Natalian adjective; Natalite  noun  historical [English technical name-forming suffix -ite], see quotation 1982.
1950 H. Gibbs Twilight in S. Afr. 89Nataline Tapestry.
1950 H. Gibbs Twilight in S. Afr. 90Only occasionally in the hundred years which follow does a European ship put in along the Nataline coast.
1963 Natal Mercury 28 Nov.Mr Clinton Collins, who owned the Old House, offered it to the Durban Corporation as a museum for the purpose of displaying Nataliana.
1982 G. Knox Estate Wines 16During the last two years of the war, Natal sugar farmers were distilling ethyl alcohol from unwanted molasses. Together, the wine and sugar industries produced a combustible spirit which was used as a substitute for almost unattainable petrol. This product, named ‘Natalite’, was the KWV’s first venture. It was..a commercial failure.
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