1. nātālis, e, adj. [natus, nascor],
- I. of or belonging to one’s birth, birth-, natal: hunc emortualem facere ex natali die, Plaut. Ps. 4, 7, 139: nunc huic lenonist hodie natalis dies, id. ib. 3, 1, 9: natali die tuo scripsisti epistulam ad me, Cic. Att. 9, 5, 1; cf.: quem ego diem vere natalem hujus urbis aut certe salutarem appellare possum, Cic. Fl. 40, 102: natalis dies reditūs mei, id. Att. 3, 20, 1: scit genius natale comes qui, temperat astrum, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 187: tempus, Ov. F. 6, 797: lux, id. Ib. 219: hora, Hor. C. 2, 17, 19: humus. Ov. P. 2, 9, 78: domus, Val. Fl. 3, 321: sterilitas, native, Col. 3, 7: so, natale decus, Val. Fl. 6, 61.
- II. Subst.: nātālis, is (abl. natali; rarely natale, Luc. 7, 391; Inscr. Orell. 775; 2534; al. cf. Neue, Formenl. 1, p. 228 sq.), m. (sc. dies).
- A. Lit., a birthday: ad urbem (veni) tertio Non. natali meo, Cic. Att. 7, 5, 3: natales grate numeras? Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 210: meus est natalis, Verg. E. 3, 76: sex mihi natales ierant, Ov. H. 15, 61: Brutorum et Cassi natalibus, Juv. 5, 37: debemus mehercule natales tuos perinde ac nostros celebrare, Plin. Ep. 6, 30, 1. On this day it was customary to make offerings, the men to their Genius, and the women to Juno, and to make presents to each other, Ov. Tr. 3, 13, 2; 5, 5, 1; Mart. 8, 64, 14.
- 2. Transf., any anniversary, a commemorative festival.
Of the day of the foundation of Rome: natali Urbis DCXXXII., Plin. 14, 4, 6, § 55.
(In eccl. Lat.) Of a martyr’s death: dies in quo, lege functi carneā, in superna regna nascuntur Dei. Paul. Nol. Carm. 21, 171 sq. So of other anniversaries, Paul. Nol. Ep. 20, 3; Aug Serm. 15 de Sanct. init.; id. Serm. 310 in lemm.
Poet.: natalem alicui eripere, to prevent one’s being born, Luc. 7, 390.
- B. In plur.: nātāles, ĭum, m., birth, origin, lineage, extraction, descent, family (postAug.): natalium periti, the casters of nativities, Sen. Q. N. 2, 32, 7: Cornelius Fuscus claris natalibus, of distinguished birth, Tac. H. 2, 86; cf.: natalium claritas, id. ib. 1, 49: mulier natalibus clara, Plin. Ep. 8, 18, 8: quid, Catilina, tuis natalibus atque Cethegi Inveniet quisquam sublimius? Juv. 8, 231: dedecus natalium velare, Tac. A. 11, 21: natalibus suis restitui or reddi, to be restored to one’s birthright, i. e. to be freed from slavery (because all men were regarded as originally free), Dig. 40, 11, 2: libertus natalibus redditus, ib. 38, 2, 3: de restituendis natalibus, Plin. Ep. 10, 73 (78).
- 2. Transf., of things, birth, origin: adamanti pallor argenti, et in auro non nisi excellentissimo natales, i. e. is produced only in gold-mines, Plin. 37, 4, 15, § 56: arborum, the seed, id. 17, 10, 14, § 73: natales impatientiae, Tert. Pat. 5: a Pentateucho natales agnitionis supputabuntur, id. adv. Marc. 1, 10.
- C. nātāle, is, n.: et Musis natale in nemore Heliconis adsignant, the place of birth, Plin. 4, 7, 12, § 25.