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In the novella Filia regis et monstrum horribile, by Andrew Olimpi, I have read (emphasis mine):

Fīlia prīma nātū est puella pulchra. Sed fīlia secunda nātū pulchrior est quam soror sua. [...] Fīlia tertia nātū vocatur Psȳchē.

I don't understand the usage of the ablative nātū in the above text. Could anyone please explain it?

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Natus is a noun used only in the ablative singular natu “by birth”.

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    Specifically that is the case for the fourth-declension noun, not the second-declension one meaning 'son' or the PPP of nascor, both of which are also nātus.
    – Cairnarvon
    Commented Jan 24 at 10:46
  • I see: I thought it was the adjective nātus.
    – Charo
    Commented Jan 24 at 12:01
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    @Charo It's worth checking your declension tables carefully when confused. The participle or adjective natus does not have a form natu; its ablative is nato/nata.
    – Joonas Ilmavirta ♦
    Commented Jan 24 at 16:30
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    Some more details in the answer here latin.stackexchange.com/questions/11054/the-purpose-of-natu
    – Davide
    Commented Jan 25 at 11:07

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