The Latin infinitive
nasci, "to be born," gives us
nascent, "coming or having recently come into existence." It also gives us
nascency and
nascence (and occasionally
naissance), which all mean "birth." One step further removed and we get
renascent, renascence, and
renaissance, which mean "rebirth" (though
renascent, according to Merriam-Webster's, seems to be less about a return to life than about a return to vigor).
The "rebirth" of the Renaissance period was a revival of interest in and study of ancient Greek and Roman scholarship, philosophy, and culture, known today as "classical studies."
And while we're birthing and rebirthing things, how about the word
nation? It, too, comes from
nasci, from Latin to Middle French to Middle English to us. So, in a way, that trite phrase and controversial old movie, "birth of a nation," is redundant.
In a way, of course. Etymology does not dictate meaning; it tells you where a word comes from, but not what a word is.
