nature

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Related to nature: science

na·ture

(nā′chər)

a. The material world and its phenomena: scientists analyzing nature.

b. The forces and processes that produce and control these phenomena: the balance of nature.

2. The world of living things and the outdoors: spent the day enjoying nature.

3. A primitive state of existence, untouched and uninfluenced by civilization or social constraints: when people lived in a state of nature.

4. The basic character or qualities of humanity: It is only human nature to worry about the future.

5. The fundamental character or disposition of a person; temperament: a man of an irascible nature. See Synonyms at disposition.

6. The set of inherent characteristics or properties that distinguish something: trying to determine the nature of a newly discovered phenomenon.

7. A kind or sort: confidences of a personal nature.

a. The processes and functions of the body, as in healing: The doctor decided not to do anything and let nature take its course.

b. Heredity: behavior more influenced by nature than nurture.

[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, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

nature

(ˈneɪtʃə)

1. 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. (Biology) 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. disposition or temperament

7. tendencies, desires, or instincts governing behaviour

8. the normal biological needs or urges of the body

9. sort; kind; character

10. the real appearance of a person or thing: a painting very true to nature.

11. accepted standards of basic morality or behaviour

12. (Biology) biology the complement of genetic material that partly determines the structure of an organism; genotype. Compare nurture³

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. call of nature informal euphemistic or jocular 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

[C13: via Old French from Latin nātūra, from nātus, past participle of nascī to be born]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

na•ture

(ˈneɪ tʃər)

n.

1. the natural world as it exists without human beings or civilization.

2. the elements of the natural world, as mountains, trees, animals, or rivers.

3. natural scenery.

4. the universe, with all its phenomena.

5. the particular combination of qualities belonging to a person, animal, thing, or class by birth, origin, or constitution; native or inherent character.

6. character, kind, or sort: two books of the same nature.

7. characteristic disposition; temperament: an evil nature.

8. the natural, primitive condition of humankind.

9. biological functions or urges.

10. the laws and principles that guide the universe or an individual.

Idioms:

by nature, as a result of inborn or inherent qualities; innately.

[1200–50; Middle English natur(e) < Old French < Latin nātūra=nāt(us), past participle of nāscī to be born + -ūra -ure]

na·ture

(nā′chər)

1. The world and its naturally occurring phenomena, together with all of the physical laws that govern them.

2. Living organisms and their environments.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Nature

Big heavy drops [of dew] … lie on the face of the earth like sweat —Shirley Ann Grau
Bushes … like heads; you could have sworn sometimes you saw them mounting and swaying in manly talk —Elizabeth Bowen
The damp stands on the long green grass as thick as morning’s tears —Emily Brontë
See Also: THICKNESS
The dawn clings to the river like a fog —Yvor Winters
Dew as thick as frost —Paul Theroux
Dew gleamed and sparkled like myriads of tiny mirrors —Dorothy Livesay
The dew is beaded like mercury on the coarsened grass —Adrienne Rich
Dew … like trembling silver leaves —Dame Edith Sitwell
Driftwood gnarled and knobby like old human bones —Charles Johnson
The earth is like the breast of a woman: useful as well as pleasing —Friedrich Nietzsche
Earth was like a jostling festival of seeds grown fat —Wallace Stevens
Flecks of ice still clung to his collar, flashing like brilliants —William H. Gass
Frost was like stiff icing sugar on all the roofs —H. E. Bates
The garden we planted and nurtured through the spring … fills out like an adolescent at summer camp —Ira Wood
The grass like a prophet’s beard, thoughtful and greying —Charles Simic
The grass on the roadside moved under the evening wind, sounding like many pairs of hands rubbed softly together —H. E. Bates
Grass patches … like squares on a game board —Mary Hedin
Grass … thick as wind —David Ignatow
Hedges as solid as walls —Edith Wharton
Here a giant philodendron twined around a sapodilla tree and through the branches of a hibiscus bush like a green arm drawing two friends together —Dorothy Francis
Ice-crystals, shaped like fern-leaves —Anatole France
Light hung in the trees like cobwebs —Jay Parini
The light is in the dark river of the hot spring evening like a dry wine in a decanter —Delmore Schwartz
Like a great poet, Nature knows how to produce the greatest effects with the most limited means —Heinrich Heine
Like a slim reed of crystal, a fountain hung in the dusky air —Oscar Wilde
The moisture in the air seemed suspended like tiny pearls —Rita Mae Brown
Moss that looks and feels like felt —Brad Leithauser
Nature is like a beautiful woman that may be as delightfully and as truly known at a certain distance as upon a closer view —George Santayana
Santayana expanded on the simile as follows: “As to knowing her through and through, that is nonsense in both cases, and might not reward our pains.”
Nature is like a revolving door: what goes out in one form comes back in another —Anon
Nature like life, she strips men of their pretensions and vanities, exposes the weakness of the weak and the folly of the fool —W. Macneile Dixon
Nature, like lives while they are being lived, is subject to laws of motion; it cannot be stopped and thereby comprehended —Margaret Sutherland
Pebbles [on beach] lit like eggs —Jay Parini
A plant is like a self-willed man, out of whom we can obtain all which we desire, if we will only treat him his own way —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
A rampant twining vine of wisteria; ancient and knotted like muscles —Marge Piercy
Sea shells as big as melons. Others like peas —John Cheever
The [clam] shells shone like rainbows —Will Weaver
The shrubs burgeon like magic beanstalks —T. Coraghessan Boyle
The soil [being dug with a spade] slices off like fudge —Sharon Sheehe Stark
Sun-baked tomatoes … hung like red balloons filled with water —Anon
The surrounding nature is soundless as if it were under water —Shohei Ooka
Thistles stood looking like prophets in the Bible in Solomon’s house —Eudora Welty
Tiny, sand-sized bits of green moss hung in slanted drifts in the water like grain dust in sunlight —Will Weaver
Trees and flowers that crowded to the path’s edge like children —Helen Hudson
The tufts of moss, like piles of house dust, that hang trembling on the bare winter trees —Elizabeth Hardwick
The twilight seems like a canopy —Erich Maria Remarque
Undergrowth [of a path] spotted with moonlight like a leapord’s skin —Colette
The water rippled like a piece of cloth —William Faulkner
The white of the snow and sky filled my eyes like the sheet pulled over the head of a dead man —Steve Erickson
A white sky made the bare branches of the elms [in March] seem like bones —Louis Auchincloss

nature

1. 'nature'

Nature is used for talking about all living things and natural processes.

I am interested in science and learning about nature's secrets.

We must consider the ecological balance of nature.

When nature has this meaning, don't use 'the' in front of it.

2. 'the country'

Don't use 'nature' to refer to land outside towns and cities. You refer to this land as the country or the countryside.

We live in the country.

We missed the English countryside.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	nature - the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized; "it is the nature of fire to burn"; "the true nature of jealousy" quality - an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone; "the quality of mercy is not strained"--Shakespeare characteristic - a distinguishing quality
	2.	nature - 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" causal agency, causal agent, cause - any entity that produces an effect or is responsible for events or results
	3.	nature - the natural physical world including plants and animals and landscapes etc.; "they tried to preserve nature as they found it" cosmos, macrocosm, universe, world, existence, creation - everything that exists anywhere; "they study the evolution of the universe"; "the biggest tree in existence"
	4.	nature - the complex of emotional and intellectual attributes that determine a person's characteristic actions and reactions; "it is his nature to help others" trait - a distinguishing feature of your personal nature personality - the complex of all the attributes--behavioral, temperamental, emotional and mental--that characterize a unique individual; "their different reactions reflected their very different personalities"; "it is his nature to help others" animal nature, animality - the physical (or animal) side of a person as opposed to the spirit or intellect disposition, temperament - your usual mood; "he has a happy disposition" complexion - (obsolete) a combination of elements (of dryness and warmth or of the four humors) that was once believed to determine a person's health and temperament sociality - the tendency to associate with others and to form social groups; "mammals as a class are not strong on sociality"
	5.	nature - 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" type - a subdivision of a particular kind of thing; "what type of sculpture do you prefer?"

nature

noun

1. creation, world, earth, environment, universe, cosmos, natural world, Mother Nature, natural forces man's ancient sense of kinship with nature

2. flora and fauna, country, landscape, countryside, scenery, natural history an organization devoted to the protection of nature

3. quality, character, make-up, constitution, attributes, essence, traits, complexion, features The protests had been non-political in nature.

4. temperament, character, personality, disposition, outlook, mood, humour, temper She trusted people. That was her nature.

5. kind, sort, style, type, variety, species, category, description This - and other books of a similar nature - are urgently needed.

Quotations
"nature red in tooth and claw" [Alfred, Lord Tennyson In Memoriam]
"Nature does nothing without purpose or uselessly" [Aristotle Politics]
"You may drive out nature with a pitchfork, yet she'll be constantly running back" [Horace Epistles]
"In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments - there are consequences" [Robert G. Ingersoll Some Reasons Why]
"In her [Nature's] inventions nothing is lacking, and nothing is superfluous" [Leonardo da Vinci]
"`I play for seasons; not eternities!'"
"Says Nature" [George Meredith Modern Love]

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

nature

noun

1. The totality of all existing things:

cosmos, creation, macrocosm, universe, world.

2. A class that is defined by the common attribute or attributes possessed by all its members:

breed, cast, description, feather, ilk, kind, lot, manner, mold, order, sort, species, stamp, stripe, type, variety.

Informal: persuasion.

3. The combination of emotional, intellectual, and moral qualities that distinguishes an individual:

character, complexion, disposition, makeup, personality.

4. A basic trait or set of traits that define and establish the character of something:

being, essence, essentiality, quintessence, substance, texture.

5. A person's customary manner of emotional response:

complexion, disposition, humor, temper, temperament.

Translations

الطَّبيعَهطَبْع، مِزاجطَبِيعَةٌطَبيعَة، نَوْعِيَّةنَوْع

přírodapovahadruhpodstata

naturslagsvæsenindhold

Natur Wesen Art Beschaffenheit

φύση

naturo

naturaleza carácter tipo

luontoympäristöluonne

nature sorte

טבע

prirodanarav

természet

eîlimanngerînáttúranáttúranumhverfi

natura natura umana naturismo naturista carattere

自然

자연

natura

būdogamtanatūrapobūdispobūdžio

dabadaba, raksturstipsveidsvide

природа характер натура

príroda

naravavrsta

naravpriroda

natur

ธรรมชาติ

doğa karakter nitelik özellik tabiat

tự nhiênbản chấtbản tínhngoài trờitạo hóa

性质本性种类类型自然

nature

[ˈneɪtʃəʳ]

A. N

1. (= essential quality) [of things] → naturaleza f
the nature and extent of the damage is still not known → aún se desconoce la naturaleza y el alcance de los daños
the project is experimental in nature → el proyecto es de carácter experimental
his comment was in the nature of a compliment → su comentario fue algo así como un cumplido
in the nature of things it's impossible → desde el punto de vista lógico es imposible
we were unaware of the serious nature of his illness → ignorábamos que su enfermedad fuera tan grave
the true nature of his intentions → sus verdaderas intenciones
by its very nature → por su propia naturaleza
see also human C

2. (= character) [of person] → carácter m
she trusted people, that was her nature → se fiaba de la gente, era así por naturaleza
to appeal to sb's better nature → apelar al buen corazón de algn
to be cautious by nature → ser cauteloso por naturaleza
she took all their teasing with good nature → aceptó todas sus burlas de buen grado
to take advantage of sb's good nature → abusar de la amabilidad de algn
it is not in his nature to lie → mentir no es propio de él
see also second ¹ A1

3. (= kind, type) something of that nature → algo por el estilo
documents of a technical nature → documentos mpl de carácter técnico
"nature of contents" (Comm) → descripción f del contenido

4. (= natural life, environment) → naturaleza f
it's against nature → es antinatural, es contrario a la naturaleza
the beauties of nature → las maravillas de la naturaleza
to draw/paint from nature → dibujar/pintar del natural
to get back to nature [person] → volver a la naturaleza
the laws of nature → las leyes de la naturaleza
to return to nature [area] → volver a su estado natural
fever is nature's way of fighting infection → la fiebre es el mecanismo natural para combatir la infección
see also call A4
see also freak, mother

B. CPD nature conservation N → protección f de la naturaleza
nature cure N → curación f natural
nature lover N → amante mf de la naturaleza
nature reserve N → reserva f natural
nature study N → estudio m de la historia natural, historia f natural
nature trail N → ruta f para el estudio de la naturaleza

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

nature

[ˈneɪtʃə^r] n

(= the natural world) → nature f
to be against nature (= unnatural) → être contre nature
to get back to nature → revenir à la nature

(= essential character) [thing] → nature f
the ambitious nature of the programme → la nature ambitieuse du programme
It is the nature of fire to burn
BUT Il est de la nature du feu de brûler.
by its nature (= naturally) → de par sa nature même
Trade unions are by their nature conservative → Les syndicats sont conservateurs de par leur nature même.

(= kind) → nature f
or something of that nature → ou quelque chose de cette nature
to be political in nature → être de nature politique
These problems are economic in nature → Ces problèmes sont de nature économique.
documents of a confidential nature → des documents à caractère confidentiel, des documents de nature confidentielle

(= character, personality) [person] → nature f
in sb's nature
It was not in her nature to tell lies → Ce n'était pas dans sa nature de dire des mensonges.
by nature → par tempérament, de nature
I am an optimist by nature → Je suis optimiste de nature.nature lover n → amoureux/euse m/f de la naturenature reserve n → réserve f naturellenature study n (= school subject) → sciences fpl naturellesnature trail n → sentier m de découverte de la nature

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

nature

→ Natur f; Nature → die Natur; laws of nature → Naturgesetze pl; against nature → gegen die Natur; in a state of nature (= uncivilized, inf: = naked) → im Naturzustand; to return to nature (person) → zur Natur zurückkehren; (garden) → in den Naturzustand zurückkehren; to get back to nature → zur Natur zurückkehren; to paint from nature → nach der Natur malen; nature calls (euph) → ich muss mal (inf)

(of person) → Wesen (→ sart f) nt, → Natur f; it is not in my nature to say things like that → es entspricht nicht meiner Art or meinem Wesen, so etwas zu sagen; it is in the nature of young people to want to travel → es liegt im Wesen junger Menschen, reisen zu wollen; cautious by nature → von Natur aus vorsichtig

(of object, material) → Beschaffenheit f; it’s in the nature of things → das liegt in der Natur der Sache; the nature of the case is such … → der Fall liegt so …; that’s the nature of the beast (fig) → das ist die Natur dieser Sache; cash is, by its (very) nature, easy to steal → Geld ist aufgrund seiner Beschaffenheit leicht zu stehlen

(= type, sort) → Art f; things of this nature → derartiges; something in the nature of an apology → so etwas wie eine Entschuldigung; … or something of that nature → … oder etwas in der Art

nature

nature conservancy

n → Naturschutz m

nature cure

n → Naturheilverfahren nt

nature

nature lover

n → Naturfreund(in) m(f)

nature poet

n → Naturdichter(in) m(f)

nature reserve

n → Naturschutzgebiet nt

nature study

n → Naturkunde f

nature trail

n → Naturlehrpfad m

nature worship

n → Naturreligion f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

nature

[ˈneɪtʃəʳ]

1. n

a. → natura
a law of nature → una legge di natura
the laws of nature → le leggi naturali or della natura
to draw/paint from nature → disegnare/dipingere dal vero

b. (character, of person) → natura, indole f; (of thing) → natura
by nature → per natura, di natura
it is not in his nature to say that → non è nella sua natura or nel suo carattere parlare così
it's second nature to him to do that → gli viene quasi istintivo farlo

c. (kind, type) → natura
things of this nature → cose fpl di questo genere
documents of a confidential nature → documenti mpl di natura riservata
something in the nature of an apology → una specie di scusa

nature

(ˈneitʃə) noun

1. the physical world, eg trees, plants, animals, mountains, rivers etc, or the power which made them. the beauty of nature; the forces of nature; the study of nature.

2. the qualities born in a person; personality. She has a generous nature.

3. quality; what something is or consists of. What is the nature of your work?

4. a kind, type etc. bankers and other people of that nature.

-natured

having a certain type of personality. good-natured; ill-natured.

in the nature of

having the qualities of. His words were in the nature of a threat.

nature

→ طَبِيعَةٌ příroda natur Natur φύση naturaleza luonto nature priroda natura 自然 자연 natuur natur natura natureza природа natur ธรรมชาติ doğa tự nhiên 自然

nature

n. naturaleza.

nature

n naturaleza

References in classic literature ?

Again, those species which are distinguished one from another and opposed one to another within the same genus are said to be 'simultaneous' in nature. I mean those species which are distinguished each from each by one and the same method of division.

Those things, therefore, are said to be 'simultaneous' in nature, the being of each of which involves that of the other, while at the same time neither is in any way the cause of the other's being; those species, also, which are distinguished each from each and opposed within the same genus.

View in context

Bears on natural selection -- The term used in a wide sense -- Geometrical powers of increase -- Rapid increase of naturalised animals and plants -- Nature of the checks to increase -- Competition universal -- Effects of climate -- Protection from the number of individuals -- Complex relations of all animals and plants throughout nature -- Struggle for life most severe between individuals and varieties of the same species; often severe between species of the same genus -- The relation of organism to organism the most important of all relations.

It has been seen in the last chapter that amongst organic beings in a state of nature there is some individual variability; indeed I am not aware that this has ever been disputed.

View in context

Goodness I call the habit, and goodness of nature, the inclination.

View in context

And the shoemaker was not allowed by us to be husbandman, or a weaver, a builder--in order that we might have our shoes well made; but to him and to every other worker was assigned one work for which he was by nature fitted, and at that he was to continue working all his life long and at no other; he was not to let opportunities slip, and then he would become a good workman.

I said; how shall we find a gentle nature which has also a great spirit, for the one is the contradiction of the other?

View in context

It was my design to comprise in it all that, before I set myself to write it, I thought I knew of the nature of material objects.

View in context

It is also from natural causes that some beings command and others obey, that each may obtain their mutual safety; for a being who is endowed with a mind capable of reflection and forethought is by nature the superior and governor, whereas he whose excellence is merely corporeal is formect to be a slave; whence it follows that the different state of master [1252b] and slave is equally advantageous to both.

View in context

Each law in turn is made by circumstances predominant, and the limits of nature give power to but one at a time.

View in context

A moody child and wildly wise Pursued the game with joyful eyes, Which chose, like meteors, their way, And rived the dark with private ray: They overleapt the horizon's edge, Searched with Apollo's privilege; Through man, and woman, and sea, and star Saw the dance of nature forward far; Through worlds, and races, and terms, and times Saw musical order, and pairing rhymes.

View in context

The poets Wordsworth and Coleridge are of special interest not only from the primary fact that they are among the greatest of English authors, but also secondarily because in spite of their close personal association each expresses one of the two main contrasting or complementary tendencies in the Romantic movement; Coleridge the delight in wonder and mystery, which he has the power to express with marvelous poetic suggestiveness, and Wordsworth, in an extreme degree, the belief in the simple and quiet forces, both of human life and of Nature.