Word of the Day

Friday July 31, 2009

• Today's Word |
• Yesterday's Word |
• Previous Words |
• Subscribe Now

nascent [NAS-uhnt; NAY-suhnt]

adjective

1. Beginning to exist or grow; coming into being; emerging; commencing.

• In recent months, there's been discussion about expanding Maryland's nascent gaming project. Some Marylanders - including some political leaders - are paying attention to neighboring states' activities and correctly wondering whether Maryland's new casinos will be stillborn amid intense regional competition.
  James Karmel, "Help Slots Succeed", The Sun, Jun 25, 2009
• "We want to take the city's film scene to a higher level," says Leilani Goode, a Philadelphia filmmaker and one of the key organizers of the nascent film market.
  Steven Rea, "Philadelphia Film Market gives filmmakers a chance to showcase their wares", McClatchy - Tribune Business News, Jun 21, 2009
• What might next have happened he himself hardly knew, for he was an impulsive creature, and Frida's rich lips were full and crimson, had not Philip's arrival with the two Miss Hardys to make up a set diverted for the moment the nascent possibility of a leading incident.
  Grant Allen ( 1848 - 1899) A science writer, author and novelist. The British Barbarians (1895)

Origin of the Word

Nascent, approximately 1624, derives from Latin nascentum (nominative nascens), present participle of nasci "to be born".