# World of the word: nature

## Notes

There're no notes for this word.

## Pronunciations

# nature

## Definitions

### from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- n. The material world and its phenomena.
- n. The forces and processes that produce and control all the phenomena of the material world: the laws of nature.
- n. The world of living things and the outdoors: the beauties of nature.
- n. A primitive state of existence, untouched and uninfluenced by civilization or artificiality: couldn't tolerate city life anymore and went back to nature.
- n. Theology Humankind's natural state as distinguished from the state of grace.
- n. A kind or sort: confidences of a personal nature.
- n. The essential characteristics and qualities of a person or thing: "She was only strong and sweet and in her nature when she was really deep in trouble” (Gertrude Stein).
- n. The fundamental character or disposition of a person; temperament: "Strange natures made a brotherhood of ill” (Percy Bysshe Shelley).
- n. The natural or real aspect of a person, place, or thing. See Synonyms at disposition.
- n. The processes and functions of the body.

### from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- n. The natural world; consisting of all things unaffected by or predating human technology, production and design. e.g. the natural environment, virgin ground, unmodified species, laws of nature.
- n. The innate characteristics of a thing. What something will tend by its own constitution, to be or do. Distinct from what might be expected or intended.
- n. The summary of everything that has to do with biological, chemical and physical states and events in the physical universe.
- v. To endow with natural qualities.

### from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
- n. The existing system of things; the universe of matter, energy, time and space; the physical world; all of creation. Contrasted with the world of mankind, with its mental and social phenomena.
- n. The personified sum and order of causes and effects; the powers which produce existing phenomena, whether in the total or in detail; the agencies which carry on the processes of creation or of being; -- often conceived of as a single and separate entity, embodying the total of all finite agencies and forces as disconnected from a creating or ordering intelligence.
- n. The established or regular course of things; usual order of events; connection of cause and effect.
- n. Conformity to that which is natural, as distinguished from that which is artificial, or forced, or remote from actual experience.
- n. The sum of qualities and attributes which make a person or thing what it is, as distinct from others; native character; inherent or essential qualities or attributes; peculiar constitution or quality of being.
- n. Kind, sort; character; quality.
- n. Physical constitution or existence; the vital powers; the natural life.
- n. Natural affection or reverence.
- n. Constitution or quality of mind or character.
- transitive v. To endow with natural qualities.

### from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Birth; origin; parentage; original stock.
- n. The forces or processes of the material world, conceived of as an agency intermediate between the Creator and the world, producing all organisms and preserving the regular order of things: as, in the old dictum, “nature abhors a vacuum.” In this sense nature is often personified.
- n. The metaphysical principle of life; the power of growth; that which causes organisms to develop each in its predeterminate way.
- n. The material and spiritual universe, as distinguished from the Creator; the system of things of which man forms a part; creation, especially that part of it which more immediately surrounds man and affects his senses, as mountains, seas, rivers, woods, etc.: as, the beauties of nature; in a restricted sense, whatever is produced without artificial aid, and exists unchanged by man, and is thus opposed to art.
- n. Hence That which is conformed to nature or to truth and reality, as distinguished from that which is artificial, forced, conventional, or remote from actual experience; naturalness.
- n. Inherent constitution, property, or quality: essential character, quality, or kind; the qualities or attributes which constitute a being or thing what it is, and distinguish it from all others; also, kind; sort; species; category: as, the nature of the soul; the divine nature; it is the nature of fire to burn; the compensation was in the nature of a fee.
- n. An original, wild, undomesticated condition, as of an animal or a plant; also, the primitive condition of man antecedent to institutions, especially to political institutions: as, to live in a state of nature.
- n. The primitive aboriginal instincts, qualities, and tendencies common to mankind of all races and in all ages, as unchanged or uninfluenced by civilization; especially, the instinctive or spontaneous sense of justice, benevolence, affection, self-preservation, love of show, etc., common to mankind; naturalness of thought, feeling, or action; humanity.
- n. The physical or moral constitution of man; physical or moral being; the personality.
- n. Inborn or innate character, disposition, or inclination; inherent bent or disposition; individual constitution or temperament; inbred or natural endowments, as opposed to acquired; hence, by metonymy, a person so endowed: as, we instinctively look up to a superior nature.
- n. The vital powers of man; vitality; vital force; life; also, natural course of life; lifetime.
- n. In theology, the natural unregenerate state of the soul; moral character in its original condition, unaffected by grace.
- n. Conscience.
- n. Spontaneity, abandon; felicity; truth; naturalness.
- n. Kindly disposition: a natural disposition such that one does not readily take or give offense; an easy, indulgent spirit.
- n. In theology, in a state of sin; unregenerated.
- n. The regular course of human life.
- n. See law, 3

### from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- n. the complex of emotional and intellectual attributes that determine a person's characteristic actions and reactions
- n. a particular type of thing
- n. the natural physical world including plants and animals and landscapes etc.
- n. the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
- n. a causal agent creating and controlling things in the universe

## Etymologies

Middle English, _essential properties of a thing_, from Old French, from Latin _nātūra_, from _nātus_, past participle of _nāscī_, _to be born_; see _genə-_ in Indo-European roots.

(American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

From Middle English _natur, nature_, from Old French _nature_, from Latin _natura_ (“birth, origin, natural constitution or quality”), future participle from perfect passive participle _(g)natus_ (born), from deponent verb _(g)nasci_ (“to be born, originate”) + future participle suffix -urus. Replaced native _Middle English_ _cunde, icunde_ (“nature, property, type, genus, character”) (from _Old English_ ġecynd), _Middle English_ _lund_ (“nature, disposition”) (from _Old Norse_ _lund_), _Middle English_ burthe (“nature, birth, nation”) (from _Old English_ ġebyrd and _Old Norse_ *byrðr). More at _kind_. (Wiktionary)

## Same context

|     |     |     |     |     |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Life | beings | character | class | difference |
| direction | edition | element | feeble-mindedness | girl |
| grow | himself | his | knowledge | law |
| maid | manner | name | nations | order |
| places | power | presence | principle | property |
| right | root | sense | service | soul |
| sound | spirit | statement | takeover | tears |
| virtue |

## Rhymes

|     |
| --- |
| denature |

## Tags

|     |
| --- |
| cvcvcv |

## Synonyms

|     |     |     |     |     |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| character | constitution | genius | personality | reputation |
| temper | disposition | nature | record | spirit |
| temperament |