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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That clash surfaced online this week when White House AI czar and venture capitalist David Sacks shared a critical essay about Humans First and Elon Musk echoed it, revealing how even a nascent group hosting small gatherings can become a new front in the AI power struggle.—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 19 Mar. 2026 This would capitalize on already nascent industry interest in hedging against biosecurity risks, trade bans, tariffs and provenance issues arising from European Union’s impending Digital Product Passport.—Patty Huntington, Sourcing Journal, 17 Mar. 2026 Launched in July 2025 by the Eloelo group, Story TV has grown rapidly in India’s nascent microdrama sector.—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026 Archos, who grew up in the family restaurant business, had already opened several successful Wildberry Pancake and Cafe locations in Chicago and the suburbs, and was convinced his hospitality experience would serve him well in the nascent cannabis industry.—Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nascent
Word History
Etymology
Latin nascent-, nascens, present participle of nasci to be born — more at nation