Question

Read the following sentence:

Charlie made friends easily because of his innate warmth and good cheer.

What does the word "innate" mean in this context? Use these dictionary entries to answer the question:

in- (prefix) in, on

-nat (suffix) birth, born


phony or put on


a learned characteristic


present since birth


youthful

Answer 1

"Innate" here means "present since birth" — natural or inborn. It comes from Latin roots meaning "in" + "born," so it describes a quality Charlie was born with, not something put on, learned, or merely youthful.