a. Also 6–9 conatural. [ad. med.L. connātūrāl-is, f. con- together + nātūrāl-is natural; cf. F. connaturel.]
1. Belonging to as a natural accompaniment, or as a property inherent by nature or from birth; congenital, innate, natural (to living beings).
1592. Davies, Immort. Soul, xxx. (1714), 92. In Man’s Mind we find an Appetite To learn … Which is co-natural [mod. edd. conn-], and born with it.
1605. Timme, Quersit., III. 167. Natural or connatural heate.
1616. [see CONNATIVE].
1647. H. More, Song of Soul, Notes 143/1. Vice is congenit or connaturall to beasts.
1655. Culpepper, Riverius, II. iii. 67. If it be connatural, it is incurable.
a. 1711. Ken, Hymnotheo, Poet. Wks. 1721, III. 110. Virtue his connat’ral Temper grew.
1860. Pusey, Min. Proph., 296. It is proper and co-natural to Him [God], to be propitious.
1862. Bp. Ellicott, Dest. Creature, i. (1865), 16. Deep-seated aversions and connatural hostilities.
b. to († with) things.
c. 1645. Howell, Lett. (1650), II. 78. Welsh … is … the prime maternall tongue of this island, and connaturall with it.
1670. Wittie, in Phil. Trans., V. 1082. I rather think, the Saltness of the Sea to be connatural to it.
1775. Adair, Amer. Ind., 66. The small-pox, a foreign disease, no way connatural to their healthy climate.
1821. New Monthly Mag., II. 157. If, indeed, ascetic virtue could ever be divested of its connatural evil tendency.
2. Of the same or like nature, agreeing in nature, allied, cognate, congenerous.
1601. Holland, Pliny, I. 449. The sauour and smell, which is connaturall vnto the tast, and hath a great affinitie with it.
1751. Harris, Hermes, 336. Between the Medium and themselves there is nothing connatural.
1862. H. Spencer, First Princ., I. iii. § 18. Equality is conceivable only between things that are connatural.
† 3. Agreeable or suited to the nature of a thing or person; congenial. Obs.
1604. T. Wright, Passions, V. § 4. 228. Iniuries were violent, benefits connaturall.
a. 1628. Preston, Serm. bef. His Majestie (1630), 45. Plants … in a soile that is not connaturall and sutable to them.
1687. Towerson, Baptism, 94. All good is opposite to such an estate, and all evil connatural to it.
B. sb.
† 1. A thing connatural, a native characteristic.
1654. Cokaine, Dianea, II. 137. Although Ambition and a desire to be beloved be connaturals to women.
2. A person or thing of the same or like nature.
1640. G. Watts, trans. Bacon’s Adv. Learn., VII. i. (R.). Iron … moves to the earth, which is the region and country of its connaturalls.
1860. Pusey, Min. Proph., 584. My Fellow, i.e. one united by community of nature … might perhaps be most nearly represented by ‘connatural.’
