Nature | Define Nature at Dictionary.com
nature
the material world, especially as surrounding humankind and existing independently of human activities.
2.
the natural world as it exists without human beings or civilization:
In nature, wild dogs hunt in packs.
3.
the elements of the natural world, as mountains, trees, animals, or rivers:
The abandoned power plant was reclaimed by nature, covered in overgrowth and home to feral animals.
4.
Tourists at the resort are surrounded by nature.
5.
the universe, with all its phenomena:
Conservation of energy is a universal law of nature.
6.
the sum total of the forces at work throughout the universe.
7.
reality, as distinguished from any effect of art:
a portrait true to nature.
8.
the particular combination of qualities belonging to a person, animal, thing, or class by birth, origin, or constitution; native or inherent character:
human nature.
the instincts or inherent tendencies directing conduct:
a man of good nature.
10.
two books of the same nature.
11.
a self-willed nature; an evil nature.
12.
the original, natural, uncivilized condition of humankind.
13.
the biological functions or the urges to satisfy their requirements.
14.
a primitive, wild condition; an uncultivated state.
15.
a simple, uncluttered mode of life without the conveniences or distractions of civilization:
a return to nature.
(initial capital letter, italics) a prose work (1836), by Ralph Waldo Emerson, expounding transcendentalism.
17.
Theology. the moral state as unaffected by grace.
Idioms
by nature, as a result of inborn or inherent qualities; innately:
She is by nature a kindhearted person.
19.
in a state of nature,
in an uncivilized or uncultured condition.
without clothes; nude; naked.
of / in the nature of, having the character or qualities of:
in the nature of an apology.
Origin of nature
Latin
1200-1250
1200-50; Middle English natur(e) < Old French < Latin nātūra conditions of birth, quality, character, natural order, world, equivalent to nāt(us) (past participle of nāscī to be born) + -ūra -ure
Related forms
Examples from the Web for nature
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Contemporary Examples
Here he is describing the state of the body when it is hauled ashore: “Its humanity had been lost to the ravages of nature.”
This Week’s Hot Reads: March 3, 2014 Nicholas Mancusi March 2, 2014
Such is the nature of justice in the U.S. District of Massachusetts.
The Science of Breakups Amir Levine, Rachel Heller August 2, 2011
According to the International Union for Conservation of nature, the animal is “teetering on the brink of extinction.”
Borana Joins the Fight to Save Kenya’s Rhinos…and Wants You to Help Too Joanna Eede February 17, 2014
But it was the gentle, spiritual side of his nature that I related to most.
When Gary Wright Met George Harrison: Dream Weaver, John and Yoko, and More Gary Wright September 28, 2014
Historical Examples
But I would like you to know into what sort of struggle you are going: learn its nature from one who knows.
British Dictionary definitions for nature
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the fundamental qualities of a person or thing; identity or essential character
2.
(often capital, esp when personified) the whole system of the existence, arrangement, forces, and events of all physical life that are not controlled by man
3.
all natural phenomena and plant and animal life, as distinct from man and his creations
4.
a wild primitive state untouched by man or civilization
5.
natural unspoilt scenery or countryside
6.
tendencies, desires, or instincts governing behaviour
8.
the normal biological needs or urges of the body
9.
the real appearance of a person or thing: a painting very true to nature
11.
accepted standards of basic morality or behaviour
12.
(biology) the complement of genetic material that partly determines the structure of an organism; genotype Compare nurture (sense 3)
13.
(Irish) sympathy and fondness for one's own people or native place: she is full of nature
14.
against nature, unnatural or immoral
15.
by nature, essentially or innately
16.
(informal, euphemistic or jocular) call of nature, the need to urinate or defecate
17.
from nature, using natural models in drawing, painting, etc
18.
in the nature of, of the nature of, essentially the same as; by way of
Word Origin
C13: via Old French from Latin nātūra, from nātus, past participle of nascī to be born
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for nature
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n.
late 13c., "restorative powers of the body, bodily processes; powers of growth;" from Old French nature "nature, being, principle of life; character, essence," from Latin natura "course of things; natural character, constitution, quality; the universe," literally "birth," from natus "born," past participle of nasci "to be born," from PIE *gene- "to give birth, beget" (see genus ).
From late 14c. as "creation, the universe;" also "heredity, birth, hereditary circumstance; essential qualities, innate disposition" (e.g. human nature); "nature personified, Mother Nature." Specifically as "material world beyond human civilization or society" from 1660s. Nature and nurture have been contrasted since 1874.
Nature should be avoided in such vague expressions as 'a lover of nature,' 'poems about nature.' Unless more specific statements follow, the reader cannot tell whether the poems have to do with natural scenery, rural life, the sunset, the untouched wilderness, or the habits of squirrels." [Strunk & White, "The Elements of Style," 3rd ed., 1979]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper