nature

Definitions

nat (born) + -ure (result, condition) = "the qualities present at birth." Latin nātūra named what something is by birth, before anyone shapes it. That one idea grew two branches: the inborn essence of a thing (human nature) and the world that came into being on its own (the natural world). Both are about what exists naturally, untouched.

Why It Means This

The two senses confuse learners because they look unrelated, but they share one Latin root. nātūra meant "what you're born with." Apply that to a person and you get inner character (her nature); apply it to the world and you get everything that grows and exists on its own (nature documentaries). The bridge is always "the way things inherently are."

Common Collocations

• 1.human nature人性
• 2.in nature在自然界中
• 3.by nature天生地
• 4.the nature of……的性质
• 5.back to nature回归自然

Example Sentences

• 1.

  We spent the weekend hiking and reconnecting with nature.

• 2.

  It's not in her nature to lie, so I believed every word.

• 3.

  The exact nature of the problem is still unclear to the engineers.