nature

Pluralnatures (some meanings)

Formsnatures, naturing, natured

1. 1
   plants and animalsnoununcountable

   The physical world and everything in it, especially plants, animals, and landscapes seen apart from things people make or do.

   Photographers travel for weeks to capture nature at its most untouched.

   The documentary explores how nature regulates itself without human intervention.

   UsageUsed without the in this sense: I love nature (not incorrect: the nature). Common in in nature and close to nature.

   Similarenvironment, wilderness

   Note

   The word comes through French from Latin nātūra, "birth, origin," built on nasci, "to be born"; in this sense, the world is what is born rather than made. Capitalized, it becomes a figure with a will of her own, like Milton's Nature, "wise and frugal." The old rivalry with art is still alive in Macaulay's "nature has caprices which art dares not imitate."

2. 2
   basic qualitiesnouncountable or uncountable

   The essential qualities of a person or thing that always tend to show, regardless of training, effort, or pretense.

   Generosity seemed woven into his very nature, no matter the circumstances.

   You can train manners, but you cannot easily change a person's nature.

   UsageCommon in it is in her nature to + verb and by nature: shy by nature.

   Similarcharacter, personality, temperament, disposition, makeup

   Note

   Character as something stubborn, set against whatever might reshape it. The contrast with upbringing is old and proverbial: "Nature passes norture" appears in David Fergusson's Scottish proverbs (1641), and Richard Steele's Tatler printed "Men may change their Climate, but they cannot their Nature." It differs from the "kind or type" meaning by describing temperament, which is what Lady Macbeth fears in her husband, rather than a category. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts

   • David Fergusson's Scottish proverbs was first published in 1641. deriv.nls.uk
   • The collection contains the proverb “Nature passes norture.” deriv.nls.uk
   • The Tatler was Richard Steele's journal. en.wikipedia.org
   • The Tatler printed “Men may change their Climate, but they cannot their Nature.” gutenberg.org
   • Lady Macbeth fears her husband's nature or temperament. folger.edu
3. 3
   kindnouncountable or uncountable

   The particular kind or class of something, defined by the features that set it apart from others.

   The dispute was financial in nature rather than personal.

   Problems of an administrative nature were referred to another office.

   UsageMostly in fixed frames: financial in nature, of a serious nature, of this nature.

   Similarkind, type, sort, character

   Note

   Here the word sorts rather than describes. It names the category a thing belongs to, usually inside fixed frames such as of this nature or financial in nature, as in Dryden's "A dispute of this nature caused mischief." Orwell's "its general nature" shows its typical work: the speaker knows what kind of thing is meant without knowing its details. Charles I's "serve her in that nature" stretches it to mean a capacity or role. Source

   Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

   • Dryden wrote the quoted words “A dispute of this nature caused mischief.” veritopicon.com
   • Orwell used “its general nature” in a passage about understanding the kind of speech without hearing its details. orwell.ru
   • Charles I wrote “serve her in that nature,” referring to service in a particular capacity. studylib.net

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