Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Innate
In′nate
(ĭn′nā̍t or ĭn-nāt′; 277)
, Adj.
1.
Inborn; native; natural;
as,
innate
vigor; innate
eloquence.2.
(Metaph.)
Originating in, or derived from, the constitution of the intellect, as opposed to acquired from experience;
as,
. See innate
ideasA priori
, Intuitive
. There is an
innate
light in every man, discovering to him the first lines of duty in the common notions of good and evil. South.
Men would not be guilty if they did not carry in their mind common notions of morality,
innate
and written in divine letters. Fleming (Origen).
If I could only show, as I hope I shall . . . how men, barely by the use of their natural faculties, may attain to all the knowledge they have, without the help of any
innate
impressions; and may arrive at certainty without any such original notions or principles. Locke.
3.
(Bot.)
Joined by the base to the very tip of a filament;
as, an
. innate
antherGray.
Innate ideas
(Metaph.)
, ideas, as of God, immortality, right and wrong, supposed by some to be inherent in the mind, as a priori principles of knowledge.
In-nate′
,Verb.
T.
To cause to exit; to call into being.
[Obs.]
“The first innating cause.” Marston.
Webster 1828 Edition
Innate
IN'NATE
,Adj.
Inborn; native; natural. Innate ideas are such as are supposed to be stamped on the mind, at the moment when existence begins. Mr. Locke has taken great pains to prove that no such ideas exist.
Definition 2024
innate
innate
English
Adjective
innate (not comparable)
- Inborn; native; natural; as, innate vigor; innate eloquence.
- Originating in, or derived from, the constitution of the intellect, as opposed to acquired from experience; as, innate ideas. See a priori, intuitive.
- South
- There is an innate light in every man, discovering to him the first lines of duty in the common notions of good and evil.
- John Locke
- how men […] may attain to all the knowledge they have, without the help of any innate impressions
- South
- (botany) Joined by the base to the very tip of a filament; as, an innate anther.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Gray to this entry?)
Usage notes
- Nouns often used with "innate": knowledge, idea, immunity, etc.
Synonyms
- See also Wikisaurus:innate
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
inborn
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Verb
innate (third-person singular simple present innates, present participle innating, simple past and past participle innated)
- To cause to exist; to call into being.
Translations
cause to exist
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References
- innate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- innate in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911