English Dictionary
Definition of “nature”
nature (ˈneɪtʃə
)
Definitions
noun
- the fundamental qualities of a person or thing; identity or essential character
- (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
- all natural phenomena and plant and animal life, as distinct from man and his creations
- a wild primitive state untouched by man or civilization
- natural unspoilt scenery or countryside
- disposition or temperament
- tendencies, desires, or instincts governing behaviour
- the normal biological needs or urges of the body
- sort; kind; character
- the real appearance of a person or thing ⇒
a painting very true to nature
- accepted standards of basic morality or behaviour
- biology the complement of genetic material that partly determines the structure of an organism; genotype Compare nurture (sense 3)
- Irish sympathy and fondness for one's own people or native place ⇒
she is full of nature
- See against nature
- See by nature
- See call of nature
- See from nature
- See in the nature of
Word Origin
C13: via Old French from Latin nātūra, from nātus, past participle of nascī to be born
Quotations
"nature red in tooth and claw"
Alfred, Lord Tennyson"Nature does nothing without purpose or uselessly"
Aristotle"You may drive out nature with a pitchfork, yet she'll be constantly running back"
Horace"In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments - there are consequences"
Robert G. Ingersoll"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
Translations
- British English:
nature
Nature refers to all the animals, plants, and other things in the world that are not made by people, and all the events and processes that are not caused by people.These grasses grow wild in nature.ˈneɪtʃə NOUN These grasses grow wild in nature.
- Spanish:
naturaleza
nf
- French:
nature
nf
- German:
Natur
nf
- Chinese: 自然 n
- Arabic: طَبِيعَةٌ n
- Portuguese: natureza nf
- Russian: природа nf
- Croatian: priroda nf
- Czech: příroda nf
- Danish: natur nutr
- Dutch: natuur nf
- Finnish: luonto n
- Greek: φύση nf
- Italian: natura nf
- Japanese: 自然 n
- Korean: 자연 n
- Norwegian: natur nm
- Polish: natura nf
- Brazilian Portuguese: natureza nf
- European Spanish:
naturaleza
nf
- Swedish: natur nutr
- Thai: ธรรมชาติ n
- Turkish: doğa n
- Vietnamese: tự nhiên n
Usage examples
These last remnants of nature formed divisions between the housing developments, giving their owners an illusion of being country dwellers.
Val McDermid, THE LAST TEMPTATION (2002)This knowledge enabled him to produce beautiful art, which was amazingly true to nature.
Country Life (2004)Mr Justice Kearns cited management correspondence, unchallenged from the union side, stressing the separate nature of the two enterprises.
Irish Times (2002)Permission is even more important in m-commerce than it is online, because of the personal and intrusive nature of mobile phones.
Glasgow Herald (2001)They know, for example, that not to perform ceremonies inevitably results in a decline in the power of nature to renew itself.
James Cowan, ABORIGINE DREAMING: Introduction to the Wisdom and Thought of the Aboriginal Traditions of Australia (2002)
