What does Nature mean?

Definitions for Nature
ˈneɪ tʃərna·ture

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Nature.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. naturenoun

    the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized

    "it is the nature of fire to burn"; "the true nature of jealousy"

  2. naturenoun

    a causal agent creating and controlling things in the universe

    "the laws of nature"; "nature has seen to it that men are stronger than women"

  3. naturenoun

    the natural physical world including plants and animals and landscapes etc.

    "they tried to preserve nature as they found it"

  4. naturenoun

    the complex of emotional and intellectual attributes that determine a person's characteristic actions and reactions

    "it is his nature to help others"

  5. naturenoun

    a particular type of thing

    "problems of this type are very difficult to solve"; "he's interested in trains and things of that nature"; "matters of a personal nature"

GCIDE

  1. Naturenoun

    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.

Wiktionary

  1. naturenoun

    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.

  2. naturenoun

    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.

  3. naturenoun

    The summary of everything that has to do with biological, chemical and physical states and events in the physical universe.

  4. natureverb

    To endow with natural qualities.

  5. Naturenoun

    The sum of natural forces reified and considered as a sentient being, will, or principle.

  6. Etymology: From nature, from nature, from natura, future participle from perfect passive participle (g)natus (born), from deponent verb nasci + future participle suffix -urus. Replaced native Middle English cunde (from Old English gecynd), Middle English lund (from Old Norse lund), Middle English burthe (from Old English gebyrd and Old Norse *byrðr). More at kind.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. NATUREnoun

    Etymology: natura, Latin; nature, French.

    Thou, nature, art my goddess; to thy law
    My services are bound. William Shakespeare, K. Lear.

    When it was said to Anaxagoras, the Athenians have condemned you to die; he said again, and nature them. Francis Bacon.

    Let the postilion nature mount, and let
    The coachman art be set. Abraham Cowley.

    Heav’n bestows
    At home all riches that wise nature needs. Abraham Cowley.

    Simple nature to his hope has giv’n,
    Beyond the cloud-topt hill an humbler heav’n. Alexander Pope.

    Between the animal and rational province, some animals have a dark resemblance of the influxes of reason: so between the corporeal and intellectual world, there is man participating much of both natures. Matthew Hale, Orig. of Mankind.

    Nature, as it grows again tow’rd earth,
    Is fashion’d for the journey, dull and heavy. William Shakespeare.

    We’re not ourselves,
    When nature, being opprest, commands the mind
    To suffer with the body. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

    Nothing could have subdu’d nature
    To such a lowness but his unkind daughters. William Shakespeare.

    A credulous father, and a brother noble,
    Whose nature is so far from doing harms,
    That he suspects none; on whose foolish honesty
    My practices ride easy. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

    My end
    Was wrought by nature, not by vile offence. William Shakespeare.

    If their dam may be judge, the young apes are the most beautiful things in nature. Joseph Glanvill.

    Have we not seen
    The murd’ring son ascend his parent’s bed,
    Thro’ violated nature force his way,
    And stain the sacred womb where once he lay? Alexander Pope.

    He binding nature fast in fate,
    Left conscience free and will. Alexander Pope.

    A dispute of this nature caused mischief in abundance betwixt a king and an archbishop. Dryden.

    Only nature can please those tastes which are unprejudiced and refined. Addison.

    Nature and were he found the same. Alexander Pope.

    Nature and nature ’s laws lay hid in night,
    God said, let Isaac Newton be, and all was light. Alexander Pope.

ChatGPT

  1. nature

    Nature can be defined as the natural world and the environment, including all living and non-living things that exist in the physical universe. It encompasses various elements such as plants, animals, landscapes, weather, and natural phenomena, which are not created or significantly influenced by human beings. Nature often involves a balance and interconnectedness of ecosystems, where different organisms and natural processes coexist and interact. It is considered to be the fundamental essence and inherent character of the natural world.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Naturenoun

    the existing system of things; the world of matter, or of matter and mind; the creation; the universe

  2. Naturenoun

    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

  3. Naturenoun

    the established or regular course of things; usual order of events; connection of cause and effect

  4. Naturenoun

    conformity to that which is natural, as distinguished from that which is artifical, or forced, or remote from actual experience

  5. Naturenoun

    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

  6. Naturenoun

    hence: Kind, sort; character; quality

  7. Naturenoun

    physical constitution or existence; the vital powers; the natural life

  8. Naturenoun

    natural affection or reverence

  9. Naturenoun

    constitution or quality of mind or character

  10. Natureverb

    to endow with natural qualities

  11. Etymology: [F., fr. L. natura, fr. natus born, produced, p. p. of nasci to be born. See Nation.]

Wikidata

  1. Nature

    Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. It ranges in scale from the subatomic to the cosmic. The word nature is derived from the Latin word natura, or "essential qualities, innate disposition", and in ancient times, literally meant "birth". Natura was a Latin translation of the Greek word physis, which originally related to the intrinsic characteristics that plants, animals, and other features of the world develop of their own accord. The concept of nature as a whole, the physical universe, is one of several expansions of the original notion; it began with certain core applications of the word φύσις by pre-Socratic philosophers, and has steadily gained currency ever since. This usage was confirmed during the advent of modern scientific method in the last several centuries. Within the various uses of the word today, "nature" often refers to geology and wildlife. Nature may refer to the general realm of various types of living plants and animals, and in some cases to the processes associated with inanimate objects – the way that particular types of things exist and change of their own accord, such as the weather and geology of the Earth, and the matter and energy of which all these things are composed. It is often taken to mean the "natural environment" or wilderness–wild animals, rocks, forest, beaches, and in general those things that have not been substantially altered by human intervention, or which persist despite human intervention. For example, manufactured objects and human interaction generally are not considered part of nature, unless qualified as, for example, "human nature" or "the whole of nature". This more traditional concept of natural things which can still be found today implies a distinction between the natural and the artificial, with the artificial being understood as that which has been brought into being by a human consciousness or a human mind. Depending on the particular context, the term "natural" might also be distinguished from the unnatural, the supernatural, or synthetic.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Nature

    nā′tūr, n. the power which creates and which regulates the material world: the power of growth: the established order of things, the universe: the qualities of anything which make it what it is: constitution: species: conformity to nature, truth, or reality: inborn mind, character, instinct, or disposition: vital power, as of man or animal: course of life: nakedness: a primitive undomesticated condition.—adj. Nā′tured, having a certain temper or disposition: used in compounds, as good-natured.—ns. Nā′ture-dē′ity, a deity personifying some force of physical nature; Nā′ture-myth, a myth symbolising natural phenomena; Nā′ture-print′ing, the process of printing in colours from plates that have been impressed with some object of nature, as a plant, leaf, &c.; Nā′ture-wor′ship, Nā′turism, worship of the powers of nature.—n. Nā′turist.—adj. Naturist′ic.—Debt of nature, death; Ease, or Relieve, nature, to evacuate the bowels. [Fr.,—L. naturanasci, natus, to be born.]

The Roycroft Dictionary

  1. nature

    1. The Unseen Intelligence which loved us into being, and is disposing of us by the same token. 2. That which every one but a theologian understands, but which no one can define. 3. The Louvre of the Esthetic Eye; the abattoir of the Religious Eye; the charivari of the Ironic Eye. 4. The eternal Kishineff of an implacable God.

The New Hacker's Dictionary

  1. nature

    See has the X nature.

U.S. National Library of Medicine

  1. Nature

    The system of all phenomena in space and time; the totality of physical reality. It is both a scientific and philosophic concept appearing in all historic eras. (Webster 2d; Dr. James H. Cassedy, NLM History of Medicine Division)

Editors Contribution

  1. nature

    Plants, animals, outdoor life and weather viewed together.

    Its a joy to be outdoors in nature every day, it affects our daily sense of well-being.


    Submitted by MaryC on January 26, 2020  


  2. nature

    The animals, beings, structures and systems united on planet earth creating together.

    Collectively all the animals, beings, structures and systems on earth are known as nature.


    Submitted by MaryC on January 26, 2020  

Suggested Resources

  1. nature

    Song lyrics by nature -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by nature on the Lyrics.com website.

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'Nature' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #501

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'Nature' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1161

  3. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'Nature' in Nouns Frequency: #209

How to pronounce Nature?

How to say Nature in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of Nature in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of Nature in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of Nature in a Sentence

  1. E. B. White:

    I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.

  2. Justin Trudeau:

    The approach we take on this is very much are we creating conditions for success in the medium and long term that is going to lead to good jobs, that is going to lead to a vibrant and thriving aerospace industry in Canada? that is certainly our hope and that is the nature of the conversations we're having right now with Bombardier.

  3. Amit Ray:

    You can plant a tree to celebrate a birthday, an anniversary, a promotion or a business success. Tree hugging is a yoga art to connect with nature.

  4. Quintilian:

    Nature herself has never attempted to effect great changes rapidly.

  5. Lyndon B. Johnson:

    It is the common failing of totalitarian regimes that they cannot really understand the nature of our democracy. They mistake dissent for disloyalty. They mistake restlessness for a rejection of policy. They mistake a few committees for a country. They misjudge individual speeches for public policy. (Answering North Vietnamese charge that US could not endure)

Popularity rank by frequency of use

Nature#1#1002#10000

Translations for Nature

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"Nature." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Nature>.

Discuss these Nature definitions with the community:

1 Comment
  • Shankar Bhushan Sharma
    Shankar Bhushan Sharma
    BY BIRTH WE ARE GATING LESSION FRON NATURE. HOW TO LIVE ON EARTH.
    LikeReply9 years ago

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pass through the tissue or substance or its pores or interstices, as of gas
A abase
B transpire
C embellish
D abash

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