Nascent descends from the Latin verb nasci, meaning “to be born,” as does many an English word, from nation and nature to innate and renaissance. But rather than describing the birth of literal babies—as in pups, kits, hoglets, et al.—nascent is applied to things (such as careers or technologies) that have recently formed or come into existence, as when scholar Danille K. Taylor-Guthrie wrote of Toni Morrison being “an integral part of a nascent group of black women writers who would alter the course of African American, American, and world literature.”
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 1996It 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 1993A 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
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As part of its Treasure Valley corporate debut, the company is teaming up with Athletic Club Boise, the nascent professional soccer team, to provide sanitation services and sponsorship, United Site Services spokesperson Jason Monaghan told the Idaho Statesman.—Marcus Dorsey, Idaho Statesman, 26 Mar. 2026 One of those opportunities is the nascent effort to convert three underused government buildings into a downtown campus for Sacramento State.—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 25 Mar. 2026 Brands chosen to launch via Ulta Beauty Marketplace are more nascent and include Truezyme; 8grow; Dryope; Hair+; Kundal, and Elizavecca.—Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 25 Mar. 2026 Charlotte Riley and Jack Bannon also star as a nascent couple.—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nascent
Word History
Etymology
Latin nascent-, nascens, present participle of nasci to be born — more at nation