Added 8 October 2026
nature
/ˈneɪ̯.tʃə(ɹ)/ noun
In Latin: nātūra Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about nature at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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The essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized.
it is the nature of fire to burn
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A causal agent creating and controlling things in the universe.
the laws of nature
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The natural physical world including plants and animals and landscapes etc.
they tried to preserve nature as they found it
Origin
From Middle English nature, natur, from Old French nature, from Latin nātūra (“birth, origin, natural constitution or quality”), future participle from perfect passive participle (g)natus (“born”), from deponent verb (g)nasci (“to be born, originate”) + future participle suffix -urus. Displaced native Middle English erd (“character, nature, disposition”) from Old English eard (compare German Art (“nature, character, kind, type”)); and Middle English kynde (“character, disposition, nature”) from Old English ġecynd. More at kind. Also displaced native Old English hād (“nature, manner”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)