Connate is an adjective meaning "existing from birth; congenitally united or related". Historically, it is from Late Latin connatus, past participle of connasci ('to be born together'), from con- ('together') + nasci ('to be born'), from a root meaning 'to be born, beget'. The visible construction is part of the etymology: connate is not just an unanalyzed simple word. The semantic history matters here: the earlier use is the starting point, and the modern sense, "existing from birth; congenitally united or related", is the later or specialized English value. The historical chain links Latin connatus, Latin nasci, and Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁-. Close English family members include connately, connation, nascent, native, and cognate.