# nature

Pronunciation: US say "NAY-chur" /ˈneɪ̯.t͡ʃəɹ/; UK say "NAY-chuh" /ˈneɪ̯.tʃə/

## Noun

1. The physical world and everything in it, especially plants, animals, and landscapes seen apart from things people make or do.
   - Simple: Everything in the physical world that people did not make, like plants, animals, weather, and land.
   - _Photographers travel for weeks to capture nature at its most untouched._
   - _The documentary explores how nature regulates itself without human intervention._
2. The essential qualities of a person or thing that always tend to show, regardless of training, effort, or pretense.
   - Simple: The basic way a person or thing really is, deep down, that does not change easily.
   - _Generosity seemed woven into his very nature, no matter the circumstances._
   - _You can train manners, but you cannot easily change a person's nature._
3. The particular kind or class of something, defined by the features that set it apart from others.
   - Simple: The kind or type that something is, based on its main features.
   - _The dispute was financial in nature rather than personal._
   - _Problems of an administrative nature were referred to another office._
4. A genteel term for the body's need to urinate and defecate.
   - Simple: A polite word for the body's need to pee or use the toilet.
   - _On the long drive, we pulled into a rest stop because nature was calling._
   - _The long bus ride with no rest stops left several passengers desperate when nature called._

## Noun

5. An older term for the body's natural fluids, especially semen, vaginal fluids, or menstrual blood. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: An old word for fluids the body makes, such as semen or menstrual blood.
6. An older term for a body part, especially the female genitalia. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: An old word for a body part, especially the female private parts.

## Verb

7. To give a person or thing its natural qualities or character. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To give something its natural qualities or character.

## Other meanings

- (noun) The vital functions or strength of a living thing, especially as something that needs nourishment or that heals on its own.
- (noun) Spontaneous love, affection, or reverence, especially the instinctive bond felt between parent and child.
- (noun) Sexual desire, regarded as a basic drive of the body.
- (noun) A class of gun or ammunition, sorted for example by caliber or by type.

## Origin

Latin (g)nasci ("to be born, originate") had a participle that led to nātūra, meaning "birth, origin, natural constitution or quality." Old French took this as nature, and so did Middle English. It pushed out the native Middle English words erd and kinde, which also meant "character" or "nature."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/nature (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).