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 sore Pathology, a bacterial skin condition characterized by spreading ulcers; cf. veld sore (see veld sense 5) .
1951 G. Panja in R.B.H. Gradwohl Clin. Trop. Med. 641Tropical Phagedenic Ulcer,..Synonyms..Natal sore.
b. In the names of plants:
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;
1868 W.H. Harvey Genera of S. Afr. Plants 254B[atata] paniculata, or ‘Natal Cotton-plant,’ a widely-dispersed tropical species, grows at Natal.
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;
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 1982.1982 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.
Copyright © 2023 Dictionary Unit for South African English.