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词汇 nature
释义

Definition of nature in English:

nature

noun ˈneɪtʃəˈneɪtʃər

  • 1mass noun The phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations.

    总称大自然，自然界

    the breathtaking beauty of nature

    大自然令人惊叹的美丽。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • Examples of National Parks worldwide demonstrate that nature conservation does not mean excluding people.
    • Noise, pollution and grimaces tend to undo any good that nature has done.
    • The walk provides an excellent opportunity to develop a nature trail in the town.
    • In this understanding, the split between humans and nature is sealed by technology.
    • Residents and the local authority said they are not opposed to a nature reserve.
    • It is a metaphysical experience based on the interconnectedness of nature and humans.
    • Carson's hostility to increasing human control over nature is expressed in many different ways by her successors.
    • They worked to transform part of the school grounds into a garden where children will be able to grow plants and study nature.
    • A commemorative plaque will be placed at the nature reserve at a later date.
    • I took a lot of pictures during my walk through that Maine nature preserve.
    • It is from him that I gained my love of nature, my creative streak and my eye for detail.
    • As a nature lover, you'll totally dig a woodsy or musky fragrance.
    • The floods in Britain in autumn 2000 were blamed on man's arrogance and human interference in nature.
    • Religions are moving from a primarily human focus to include concerns for nature and all creation.
    • Keeping a good balance is the only way that humans and nature can coexist.
    • I really had the capacity to know and learn about plants and growing and nature.
    • For humanists, the highest value is intelligent coexistence between humans and nature.
    • My partner is a park ranger so we actually live on a nature preserve.
    • Incidentally, the nature reserve is likely to be destroyed by the building process.
    • Humans are encroaching on nature, but we can be more mindful of our impact when enjoying summer wilderness.
    Synonyms
    the natural world, the living world, Mother Nature, creation, the world, the environment, the earth, Mother Earth, the universe, the cosmos, natural forces
    wildlife, flora and fauna, countryside, landscape, scenery
    1. 1.1 The physical force regarded as causing and regulating the phenomena of the world.
      自然力
      it is impossible to change the laws of nature

      要改变自然力的法则是不可能的。参见MOTHER NATURE。

      See also Mother Nature
      Example sentencesExamples
      • Well, I mean, really against that kind of force of nature, there was nothing any of us could do.
      • I don't know, you guys, you're tampering with a force of nature and you might regret it.
      • The diversity of species is perhaps the most obvious example of nature's creativity.
      • No pathetic fallacy here, nature remains impervious to human crises.
      • Every time humans have been able to tackle and control a new force of nature, a technological revolution happens.
      • Fill your lungs with purifying air and feast your eyes on Mother Nature's bounty.
      • The extent to which a human can be made to feel insignificant in the face of an intractable force of nature knows no bounds.
      • The fact is that the victims of the typhoon were victims of nature, as human beings have been since the dawn of time.
      • Said Archibald, " There's not a lot you can do to change Mother Nature.
      • I think the catastrophe demonstrates that we are not as completely attuned to the forces of nature as we think we are.
      • The rural India even today is at the mercy of nature's bounties and fury.
      • Perhaps Mother Nature was just having a little fun?
      • Attempts to unify all four forces of nature have eluded physicists from Einstein to the current day.
      • The resources which man uses to procure his subsistence are of two kinds: gifts of nature, and products of human labour.
      • As if to compound the brutal deeds of humans, nature chipped in with a devastating famine.
      • The next hurricane will follow the path that the forces of nature ordain for it regardless of what we do or don't do.
      • It is a sad and grim reminder of how vulnerable we are to the force of nature.
      • How can we provide our pets with nutrition closer to what nature intended?
      • The sheer destructive force of nature demonstrated here is numbing.
      • In the life of this nation, we have often been reminded that nature is an awesome force and that all life is fragile.
      • Truly can it be said that Pete Flanagan was one of nature's gentlemen.
      • Imagine nature's bounty matching up to the lavish interiors of the chateau.
      • The tsunami may be an act of nature but humans are complicating the relief effort.

  • 2The basic or inherent features, character, or qualities of something.

    helping them to realize the nature of their problems

    帮助他们认识他们问题的本质。

    there are a lot of other documents of that nature

    还有很多同类性质的文件。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • It boasted of the clean and long-lasting nature of the product.
    • All three names were derived from the shape of the flower, but none warned of the plant's deadly nature.
    • Given the vital nature of such work why stop at free parking passes?
    • Yes, what he did to us was very personal in nature and so it was only logical that my response would be equally personal.
    • What he tells us is that migrants change the nature of a country.
    • His piece highlights the fickle nature of Australian politics.
    • Our experience in conflicts over the past decade has revealed the changing nature of warfare.
    • Handy's work examines the changing nature of work, working life and of organisations.
    • The picturesque nature of many of the pieces is a great stimulus to the imagination.
    • The complaints of alleged defamation are personal and political in nature.
    • A preliminary archaeological study has been completed to determine the exact nature of this site.
    • "Our equipment is merely reflecting the changing nature of society and allowing people to live their lives more easily.
    • It is changing much about the very nature of human society itself.
    • Further study is necessary to elucidate the precise nature of the relationship between media exposure and cognitive development.
    • Stark warnings and a constant bombardment of information on the fragile nature of Earth's environment surround us on a weekly basis.
    • I just want to make a remark of a more personal nature about my work.
    • As a nation, America knows that democracy, by its very nature can not be forced.
    • Her husband's illness and her father's death have underlined the unpredictable nature of human existence.
    • Ongoing research is now directed toward understanding the precise nature of these intermolecular forces.
    • Both men have difficulty defining the exact nature of their relationship.
    • The story illustrates the true nature of the relationship between journalists and the police.
    • I would then move into a discussion of the biological nature of the human body.
    • It was also due to the physical conditions of the country and the nature of the war itself.
    Synonyms
    essence, inherent/basic/essential characteristics, inherent/basic/essential qualities, inherent/basic/essential attributes, inherent/basic/essential features, sum and substance, character, identity, complexion
    kind, sort, type, variety, description, category, ilk, class, classification, species, genre, style, cast, order, kidney, mould, stamp, grain
    North American stripe
    1. 2.1 The innate or essential qualities or character of a person or animal.
      （人或动物的）秉性，天性
      it's not in her nature to listen to advice

      听取建议不是她的天性。

      I'm not violent by nature

      我生性并不粗暴。参见HUMAN NATURE。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • By nature, alligators are shy and reclusive, and are typically wary of humans.
      • The root cause is not so much the drugs trade, as the malignant rat-like nature of the human race.
      • By nature, every individual seeks to prove himself as a useful person in his or her society.
      • By nature, I'm not an impulsive person so you can see why he was so surprised.
      • I don't expect cats to be free of the wild instinct that's an essential part of their nature.
      • It has been suggested that the basic nature of social workers prevents them from performing effectively.
      • Of course, it's very difficult to disentangle children's basic natures from what adults have taught them.
      • Wilson thinks those imperfections of character are essential to our nature.
      • For example, animals by nature do not have an odd number of feet.
      • Taking such risks is an obligation that our nature as humans imposes on us.
      • My strongest belief is that such a trait is ingrained into our nature as human beings.
      • By nature I'm definitely a spender, but I'm trying to force myself to be a saver instead.
      • By nature generous, Matt sometimes paid for his friends' drinks when they had no money.
      • Man's nature in some basic ways is also not mutable.
      • You said yourself that it was in my personality and nature to be sarcastic.
      • No matter how far they run, the characters can never escape their essential natures.
      • By nature, I'm a little bit of a loner and I don't open up myself to people that easily when I meet them for the first time.
      • It is also a thought-provoking examination of the animal nature of humans and at what point a punishment should fit a crime.
      • His obsessive nature saw him force actors to repeat scenes endlessly in his films as he strove for perfection.
      • By nature, a lot of us are selfish opportunists who tend to pay a lot more mind to something when a treat is guaranteed.
      • No slug has ever harmed, offended, or otherwise done ill to me and it's in their nature to eat plants.
      Synonyms
      character, personality, disposition, temperament, temper, humour, make-up, cast/turn of mind, persona, psyche, constitution, fibre
    2. 2.2mass noun Inborn or hereditary characteristics as an influence on or determinant of personality.
      天生性格。常与NURTURE 相对
      Often contrasted with nurture
      Example sentencesExamples
      • He was fascinated with the idea of whether genius is the result of nature or nurture.
      • Infant determinists argue for the determining effects of both nature and nurture, leaving little to individuals' free will.
      • Who of us cannot look back on our growing up years and see how our parents influenced us by both nature and nurture?
      • Yes, when passion ebbs, nurture comes before nature and compassion must overflow.
      • We have an innate nature, because we have inherited genes from our most successful ancestors.
      • I think we need to be careful when we start talking about whether it's nature or nurture.
      • The rapid transformation of warring societies into peaceful ones underscores the power of nurture over nature.
      • He also has an eminently sane attitude to the ferocity of past arguments about the relative influences of nature and nurture.
      • And you can answer many questions about nature versus nurture in that way.
      • It's neither nature nor nurture that determines who we are, but the choices we make.
      • However, he perpetuates a common misconception that the battle has been nature versus nurture.
      • Man is a product of nature, the argument runs, but societies are contrived by men.
      • The debate surrounding homosexuality whips up the same storms - nature versus nurture.
    3. 2.3archaic with adjective A person of a specified character.
      〈古〉具有某种特性的人
      Emerson was so much more luminous a nature

      爱默生是一个更为睿智的人。

Phrases

  • against nature

    • Unnatural in a way perceived as immoral.

      is a father killing his son not an act against nature?
      Example sentencesExamples
      • Among the founders, sodomy was universally condemned as a crime against nature.
      • How do you deal with something that's against nature: It's been asked before, as all of us who are parents can't even imagine it.
      • "We oppose human cloning because it's against nature, " she said.
      • It also condemned the practice of cloning, saying that this process is against nature and demanded that this practice should be stopped.
      • For one thing, they regard defeat as an offence against nature.
      • Soon, however, Chloe's parents help her to see Ruby's family for what they are: an affront against nature.
      • For many years and in many countries, homosexuality was considered the same as bestiality: a crime against nature.
      • Is this a travesty against nature that we are doomed to repeat ad infinitum?
      • I can see I just interrupted what would normally be a crime against nature.
      • They ask this, as if it would be a crime against nature to stop at one child.
      • Hey, at least they don't engage in circumlocutions, such as ‘crime against nature.’
      • There were a few people who said they were cool with it, but they are totally outweighed by those who decry it as a crime against nature.
      • It is self-discipline put in order the moment they commit the crime against nature.
      • The argument is ‘if this crime against nature persists and becomes accepted by society, you know what's next: bestiality.’
      • They unanimously voted to introduce legislation amending the criminal code so the county can charge homosexuals with crimes against nature.
      • Anyway, it would be an offence against nature to put a slick and shiny, well-lubricated wok back on the shelf without it ever experiencing the slap and sizzle of meat and two veg.
      • There are sins against the church, and sins against nature, which is God's older and purer handiwork.
      • During the past 15 years, he has pursued a global reconnaissance mission to uncover crimes against nature perpetrated by the world's military-industrial complex.

  • someone's better nature

    • A person's capacity for tolerance, generosity, or sympathy.

      人性中善良的一面

      Charlotte planned to appeal to his better nature

      夏洛特打算求助于他善良的一面。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Despite our better nature, it seems, fear of foreigners or other strange-seeming people comes out when we are under stress.
      • I think the ‘angels of our better nature’ whisper into our hearts that eating meat is wrong.
      • I decided to appeal to the captain 's better nature and plead my inability until I had watched a few more times.
      • All we can do this week is appeal to their better nature and urge them to call off their mean-minded vandalism.
      • And at this point Lucasta 's better nature prevailed.
      • His rackety friends had returned to France and his better nature was in evidence.
      • Many had sacrificed the urgings of their better nature and committed shameful deeds for Stalin.
      • But his better nature soon revealed to him the fault he had committed.
      • Perhaps if she told him about the baby, perhaps if she appealed to his better nature… Surely the life of an infant would mean something to him?
      • We would appeal to their better nature and not pursue disciplinary action against these two men who only joined millions of England fans in watching the game.
      • With my charity night approaching, I would like to appeal to your better nature in asking for prizes in the raffle.
      • It prompts you to do things that go against your better nature.

  • the call of nature

    • Used euphemistically to refer to a need to urinate or defecate.

      〈婉〉要上厕所的感觉

      Example sentencesExamples
      • We hunters and campers also need a quality light, even if our purpose is only to keep from tripping on the tent ropes when answering a midnight call of nature.
      • It's lucky the car was not towed away: that would have cost £200, as happened to a cab driver I met later, who had parked for two minutes to answer a call of nature.
      • I did a quick escape at the end to answer a pressing call of nature.
      • Visitors attending to a call of nature in one South Lakeland village this week are in for a treat as the community unveiled its lovingly restored public toilet.
      • As he staggered up Victoria Road, Charles stopped to answer a call of nature.
      • This vehicle's driver stopped to attend to a call of nature, and I have simply borrowed his taxi for a short time.
      • Probably many of us have experienced the great annoyance you feel when suddenly you have to answer an urgent call of nature while out on the street yet you are unable to find a decent washroom.
      • Although yesterday's driveway incident didn't keep me awake last night it did cross my mind a couple of times when I got up to answer the call of nature.
      • The Tour's unspoken code of conduct dictates that the race leader, when answering a call of nature, shall not be subjected to attacks or breakaways.
      • Even if you managed to heat your house, you would still have to brave the elements to answer a call of nature in a freezing outside loo.
      • All the trains toilets were ‘out of order’ so it had an extended stop at each of the ten stops en-route to London for passengers to get off, answer the call of nature and get back on again.
      • The pedigree seal point cat left the house as usual to answer a call of nature, but didn't return home.

  • from nature

    • (in art) using natural scenes or objects as models.

      （艺术用语）写生

      I wanted to paint landscape directly from nature
      Example sentencesExamples
      • Dragons and forms from nature like leaves are often to be found on Japanese tuba.
      • Even a motif from nature was to be flattened and show no trace of shading, foreshortening, or perspective.
      • His paintings are expressions of inspirations from nature and his relationship to the landscape.
      • The author has walked this terrain over a lifetime, and his gift for etching vivid scenes from nature is given ample play.
      • He painted directly from nature, without access to the art collections of the capital, an important resource for painters.
      • Chardin painted directly from nature, with little or no advance preparation.
      • He is by no means a copyist, but paints chiefly from nature, thinking rightly that he can do more faithful work by following this course.
      • Claudia is a self-taught artist who developed a more realistic style by sketching from nature.
      • The depicted subjects are taken from nature or from Japanese legends and history.
      • His manner has affinities with Impressionism but he seldom painted directly from nature.

  • get (or go) back to nature

    • Return to the type of life (regarded as being in tune with nature) that existed before the development of industrial societies.

      回归自然

      we must get back to nature and question the use of anything which threatens the environment
      Example sentencesExamples
      • The family on the farm had no idea the hen had gone back to nature and had been laying her eggs in a disused trough in the loft.
      • The integration of the building process with the natural environment allows residents to go back to nature through gardens, pools, and fountains.
      • I'm going back to nature, I need to find out more about myself.
      • If you enjoy getting back to nature you have come to the right place; much of Iceland's interior is totally uninhabited.
      • But getting back to nature and roughing it a little reminds you what it means to be human.
      • Ballymaloe House is on a working farm with superb gardens - a wonderful place to get back to nature and sample the best the country has to offer.
      • It really allows you to get back to nature, focus on what's important - it's like taking a vacation without actually going anywhere.
      • Creation Theatre Company, is building a brand new openair theatre in Headington Hill Park, where you can languish in the leafy lushness and get back to nature.
      • Pulling a trout out of a mountain stream is a time-honored way to get back to nature.
      • But if the commercialism gets too much to cope with, get back to nature on an airboat ride through alligator-infested marshland.
      • A former gravel pit near Ripon has become a haven for thousands of birds since it went back to nature.
      • Rural Cyprus is the perfect setting in which to enjoy the soothing pace of village life and get back to nature through traditional agriculture.
      • Either head to the sunny beach resort, get back to nature in the forest camping grounds, or head to the wintry wonderland of the snow-filled mountains.
      • To get back to nature was great, it was a great opportunity to clear our heads.
      • I felt like I needed to get back to nature, so I started planning a camping trip.
      • You could hardly choose a more dramatic place in which to get back to nature.
      • There they discover what getting back to nature is really all about.
      • Anyone who suggests we would do better to go back to nature for our water supply is frankly nuts.

  • in the nature of

    • Having the characteristics of; similar to.

      a week at home would be in the nature of a holiday

      在家里待一周和度假没什么区别。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • First, I do not consider that the empty cinema could properly be described as an unusual danger in the nature of a fire hazard.
      • As it turned out, most of the addresses of people in this House were in the nature of ritual protestations.
      • When dilemmas come they're in the nature of how to merge your book collection with your spouse's.
      • The gesture set the tone for his speech, which was in the nature of conciliatory advice to the new president.
      • The request by the defendants is not in the nature of a further or additional psychiatric assessment.
      • For the reasons I have already given, I cannot see that any right in the nature of a class right is involved in the present case.
      • Rather the lie was more in the nature of a fantasy about getting out of a life which is undesirable.
      • It looked more like something in the nature of a U2 spy plane than a commercial jet.
      • As presented, while these are called diaries, they are often more in the nature of a commonplace book.
      • In general, these rights are in the nature of freedoms rather than positive rights to social or economic benefits.
      • So this is actually in the nature of an apology for the extreme scarcity of posts this week.
      • The other options under the tax saving bond are in the nature of deep discount bonds.
      • It is in the nature of an administrative process and not a judicial process.
      • But the fact is that these are in the nature of exceptions rather than the rule.
      Synonyms
      like, much the same as, comparable to, close to, near, near to, in the nature of

  • in the nature of things

    • 1Inevitable.

      必然的，理所当然的

      it is in the nature of things that the majority of music prizes get set up for performers rather than composers

      大部分的音乐奖项理所当然是为演奏者而不是为作曲者设立的。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • It undoubtedly takes a more complex and multi-faceted view of things than some of my earlier films but I think that's just in the nature of things.
      • It is in the nature of these things that the timing and duration of our visits were occasionally unpredictable.
      • This was in the nature of things: it would in turn fulfil that glorious destiny for which the republic had been preparing following several decades of expansion across the great plains.
      • That was in the nature of things in our society; it was expected that my father, as one who had done well, would help others to get their start in life.
      • It's probably in the nature of things that a Toronto awards show should be focused on Toronto talent, but some of Montreal's brightest lights did get noticed in Hogtown.

    • 2Inevitably.

      必然的，理所当然的

      in the nature of things, old people spend much more time indoors

      当然，老年人在室内待的时间要多得多。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • We owe many faithful readers to Hugh, as well as the kind of debt that, in the nature of things, can never be repaid.
      • There is also the possibility, which in the nature of things must remain shadowy, that military propagandists fostered the rumours as a way of boosting morale.
      • It's also true that in the nature of things, billionaires are more likely to be right-wing than left-wing fanatics.
      • Of course, in the nature of things, this is not the role of councils themselves but of entrepreneurial sectors of our community in partnership with the authorities.
      • The reason for this is that the affidavit in support of the claim will usually be made by the liquidator, who in the nature of things, will have no firsthand knowledge of the matters to which he deposes.
      • Tourist areas, in the nature of things, are places where others want to live.
      • All ethics committees require evidence of safety, but, in the nature of things, such statements have to be more provisional than is generally acknowledged.
      • Toleration in its deepest essence is founded on this view of human nature, a view that, in the nature of things, impresses itself most urgently upon us at the moments of our greatest destructiveness.
      • Yet in the nature of these things, none of these objectives can be guaranteed.
      • But his ‘crucial test’, as he now explains it, is one that, in the nature of things, simply can't be met, or would be so improbable as to amount to an impossibility.
      • But in the nature of things, sometimes the greatest disaster is the greatest opportunity.
      • Such a role would, in the nature of things, be subject to numerous pressures and attempts to exploit or subvert it.
      • This would be a stupid argument since phase A rather inevitably leads to phase B, and B is in the nature of things the complicated phase.

  • in a state of nature

    • 1In a state unaffected by human intervention.

      Example sentencesExamples
      • The course of reasoning, by which this conclusion is attained, is very much this: That in a state of nature all men are free.
      • Human beings living in a state of nature, and fearing death, must form a civil association by authorizing some superior power to rule them by law - an outcome Hobbes thought would most commonly come about through conquest.
      • I don't believe the Rousseau argument that if you leave everything in a state of nature, then everything will be peaceful and loving.
      • This is an amazing example of what John Locke argued in his Second Treatise about what man in a state of nature gives up when he joins a commonwealth and enters a society that agrees to give up some of their power to form a government.
      • Natural rights were those rights people enjoyed in a state of nature, independent of any organized society: the right to life and liberty and the right to attempt to procure property.
      • Blacks Law Dictionary defines wild animals as ‘Animals in a untamable disposition; animals in a state of nature.’
      • Thomas Hobbes, in one of the best known and most abused phrases in the English language, described the life of man in a state of nature as ‘solitary, poore, nasty, brutish and short’.
      • All men have a right to remain in a state of nature as long as they please; and in case of intolerable oppression, civil or religious, to leave the society they belong to, and enter into another.
      • In addition, lacking the power to impose justice on his neighbour, he lacks also the right to it; hence there is no wrongdoing in a state of nature.
      • The question which now became pressing was whether the seas were regions in which men found themselves once again in a state of nature, which meant that no law could apply except that of the strongest.
      • Civil liberty means the liberty of a citizen, not the abstract liberty of an individual in a state of nature.
      • King Lear too offers a perspective on man in a state of nature, clearing away the trappings of power and the symbolisms of majesty and sovereignty to place a monarch firmly on the heath.

    • 2Totally naked.

      裸体的

      Example sentencesExamples
      • He led me to a room where dozens of men were in a state of nature and invited me to change into my judo costume.
      • My theory is that my great grandparents were walking happily hand-in-hand in Cannaught Place, she clad in hot pants and he completely in a state of nature.

    • 3Christian Theology
      In a morally unregenerate condition, unredeemed by divine grace.

      〔基督教神学〕处于未得神恩的有罪状态

  • the nature of the beast

    • informal The inherent and unchangeable character of something.

      Example sentencesExamples
      • A lot of times those calling for the officers to continue will, in the following year, be their most ardent critics, such is the nature of the beast.
      • We may not like having to ‘borrow’ terms from other languages, but that is just the nature of the beast.
      • Sure, no doubt it's politically minded - that's the nature of the beast.
      • I spend a lot of time in meetings that I could otherwise spend productively, but that's the nature of the beast in my profession.
      • And the key to reversing the control of this psychopathic institution is to understand the nature of the beast.
      • It seems to be a win-win situation, although such is the nature of the beast that the Union is sure to grumble at losing control.
      • This is both a strength and a weakness, as we will see, but ultimately it is the nature of the beast and nothing to get upset about.
      • All network security plans are too complex; it's the nature of the beast.
      • While it's the nature of the beast, I suppose, that the tone of our commentary is critical, we are well attuned to the fact that everyone makes mistakes on occasion.
      • Depression imposes some limitations on those actively in its grip; it is the nature of the beast to impair cognitive functioning and to induce passivity.
      • Creative people are rarely consistent people: it's the nature of the beast.
      • It is the nature of the beast that everything has to be black and white in football.
      • It is surely in the nature of the beast that young people will try to ‘prove themselves’ by doing what is forbidden to them (even if they do usually fail).
      • But that's the nature of the beast when you're doing a sprawling drama that takes place in real time.
      • Life has never been fair, that's just the nature of the beast.
      • The addition of invented material, however, changes the nature of the beast.
      • Anyone who rises to political power often loses perspective, and that's just the nature of the beast.
      • Technical perfection easily wins over any hint of real emotion, but that's largely the nature of the beast, I suppose.
      • It is in the nature of the beast to hold back on things to achieve some perceived advantage in life.
      • There is no question that there's a lot of instability that comes with democracy and it's the nature of the beast that it's turbulent and uncertain.

Origin

Middle English (denoting the physical power of a person): from Old French, from Latin natura 'birth, nature, quality', from nat- 'born', from the verb nasci.

  • nation from Middle English:

    This word came via Old French from Latin natio, from nasci, meaning ‘to be born’. The link between ‘country’ and ‘birth’ was the idea of a people sharing a common ancestry or culture. The Latin verb nasci is the source of many familiar English words connected with birth, among them innate (Late Middle English) inborn or natural; native (Late Middle English); nativity (Middle English) birth; nature (Middle English); naïve (mid 17th century); and renaissance (literally ‘rebirth’). Also related is the name of the former province of Natal in South Africa, which was first sighted by the explorer Vasco da Gama on Christmas Day 1497. He called it Terra Natalis or ‘land of the day of birth’, in recognition of Christ's birth. A similar idea lies behind Noel (Late Middle English), ‘Christmas’, which is a French word that comes ultimately from Latin natalis. England is a nation of shopkeepers is supposed to have been Napoleon's scornful dismissal of the enemy across the Channel. Napoleon was not the first to use the phrase, though; the economist Adam Smith and possibly also the American revolutionary Samuel Adams referred to ‘a nation of shopkeepers’ in 1776.

noun.1
phr.

Definition of nature in US English:

nature

nounˈneɪtʃərˈnāCHər

  • 1The phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations.

    总称大自然，自然界

    the breathtaking beauty of nature

    大自然令人惊叹的美丽。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • Carson's hostility to increasing human control over nature is expressed in many different ways by her successors.
    • Residents and the local authority said they are not opposed to a nature reserve.
    • My partner is a park ranger so we actually live on a nature preserve.
    • Noise, pollution and grimaces tend to undo any good that nature has done.
    • In this understanding, the split between humans and nature is sealed by technology.
    • Humans are encroaching on nature, but we can be more mindful of our impact when enjoying summer wilderness.
    • They worked to transform part of the school grounds into a garden where children will be able to grow plants and study nature.
    • The floods in Britain in autumn 2000 were blamed on man's arrogance and human interference in nature.
    • Examples of National Parks worldwide demonstrate that nature conservation does not mean excluding people.
    • I took a lot of pictures during my walk through that Maine nature preserve.
    • For humanists, the highest value is intelligent coexistence between humans and nature.
    • Keeping a good balance is the only way that humans and nature can coexist.
    • It is a metaphysical experience based on the interconnectedness of nature and humans.
    • A commemorative plaque will be placed at the nature reserve at a later date.
    • As a nature lover, you'll totally dig a woodsy or musky fragrance.
    • The walk provides an excellent opportunity to develop a nature trail in the town.
    • Religions are moving from a primarily human focus to include concerns for nature and all creation.
    • Incidentally, the nature reserve is likely to be destroyed by the building process.
    • I really had the capacity to know and learn about plants and growing and nature.
    • It is from him that I gained my love of nature, my creative streak and my eye for detail.
    Synonyms
    the natural world, the living world, mother nature, creation, the world, the environment, the earth, mother earth, the universe, the cosmos, natural forces
    1. 1.1 The physical force regarded as causing and regulating these phenomena.
      自然力
      it is impossible to change the laws of nature

      要改变自然力的法则是不可能的。参见MOTHER NATURE。

      See also Mother Nature
      Example sentencesExamples
      • The rural India even today is at the mercy of nature's bounties and fury.
      • The next hurricane will follow the path that the forces of nature ordain for it regardless of what we do or don't do.
      • In the life of this nation, we have often been reminded that nature is an awesome force and that all life is fragile.
      • The extent to which a human can be made to feel insignificant in the face of an intractable force of nature knows no bounds.
      • Truly can it be said that Pete Flanagan was one of nature's gentlemen.
      • No pathetic fallacy here, nature remains impervious to human crises.
      • Perhaps Mother Nature was just having a little fun?
      • Attempts to unify all four forces of nature have eluded physicists from Einstein to the current day.
      • Said Archibald, " There's not a lot you can do to change Mother Nature.
      • I think the catastrophe demonstrates that we are not as completely attuned to the forces of nature as we think we are.
      • The diversity of species is perhaps the most obvious example of nature's creativity.
      • The tsunami may be an act of nature but humans are complicating the relief effort.
      • Well, I mean, really against that kind of force of nature, there was nothing any of us could do.
      • How can we provide our pets with nutrition closer to what nature intended?
      • As if to compound the brutal deeds of humans, nature chipped in with a devastating famine.
      • Every time humans have been able to tackle and control a new force of nature, a technological revolution happens.
      • It is a sad and grim reminder of how vulnerable we are to the force of nature.
      • Imagine nature's bounty matching up to the lavish interiors of the chateau.
      • The sheer destructive force of nature demonstrated here is numbing.
      • I don't know, you guys, you're tampering with a force of nature and you might regret it.
      • The fact is that the victims of the typhoon were victims of nature, as human beings have been since the dawn of time.
      • The resources which man uses to procure his subsistence are of two kinds: gifts of nature, and products of human labour.
      • Fill your lungs with purifying air and feast your eyes on Mother Nature's bounty.

  • 2in singular The basic or inherent features of something, especially when seen as characteristic of it.

    本质，实质；特性

    helping them to realize the nature of their problems

    帮助他们认识他们问题的本质。

    there are a lot of other documents of that nature

    还有很多同类性质的文件。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • All three names were derived from the shape of the flower, but none warned of the plant's deadly nature.
    • Stark warnings and a constant bombardment of information on the fragile nature of Earth's environment surround us on a weekly basis.
    • "Our equipment is merely reflecting the changing nature of society and allowing people to live their lives more easily.
    • Her husband's illness and her father's death have underlined the unpredictable nature of human existence.
    • It is changing much about the very nature of human society itself.
    • What he tells us is that migrants change the nature of a country.
    • The story illustrates the true nature of the relationship between journalists and the police.
    • Ongoing research is now directed toward understanding the precise nature of these intermolecular forces.
    • Further study is necessary to elucidate the precise nature of the relationship between media exposure and cognitive development.
    • Handy's work examines the changing nature of work, working life and of organisations.
    • Our experience in conflicts over the past decade has revealed the changing nature of warfare.
    • It was also due to the physical conditions of the country and the nature of the war itself.
    • Given the vital nature of such work why stop at free parking passes?
    • The picturesque nature of many of the pieces is a great stimulus to the imagination.
    • A preliminary archaeological study has been completed to determine the exact nature of this site.
    • As a nation, America knows that democracy, by its very nature can not be forced.
    • His piece highlights the fickle nature of Australian politics.
    • The complaints of alleged defamation are personal and political in nature.
    • Yes, what he did to us was very personal in nature and so it was only logical that my response would be equally personal.
    • It boasted of the clean and long-lasting nature of the product.
    • I just want to make a remark of a more personal nature about my work.
    • Both men have difficulty defining the exact nature of their relationship.
    • I would then move into a discussion of the biological nature of the human body.
    Synonyms
    essence, basic characteristics, essential characteristics, inherent characteristics, basic qualities, essential qualities, inherent qualities, basic attributes, essential attributes, inherent attributes, basic features, essential features, inherent features, sum and substance, character, identity, complexion
    kind, sort, type, variety, description, category, ilk, class, classification, species, genre, style, cast, order, kidney, mould, stamp, grain
    1. 2.1 The innate or essential qualities or character of a person or animal.
      （人或动物的）秉性，天性
      it's not in her nature to listen to advice

      听取建议不是她的天性。

      See also human nature
      I'm not violent by nature

      我生性并不粗暴。参见HUMAN NATURE。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • It is also a thought-provoking examination of the animal nature of humans and at what point a punishment should fit a crime.
      • No matter how far they run, the characters can never escape their essential natures.
      • No slug has ever harmed, offended, or otherwise done ill to me and it's in their nature to eat plants.
      • By nature, I'm not an impulsive person so you can see why he was so surprised.
      • My strongest belief is that such a trait is ingrained into our nature as human beings.
      • Of course, it's very difficult to disentangle children's basic natures from what adults have taught them.
      • For example, animals by nature do not have an odd number of feet.
      • The root cause is not so much the drugs trade, as the malignant rat-like nature of the human race.
      • Wilson thinks those imperfections of character are essential to our nature.
      • His obsessive nature saw him force actors to repeat scenes endlessly in his films as he strove for perfection.
      • You said yourself that it was in my personality and nature to be sarcastic.
      • It has been suggested that the basic nature of social workers prevents them from performing effectively.
      • I don't expect cats to be free of the wild instinct that's an essential part of their nature.
      • Man's nature in some basic ways is also not mutable.
      • By nature, alligators are shy and reclusive, and are typically wary of humans.
      • By nature generous, Matt sometimes paid for his friends' drinks when they had no money.
      • By nature, every individual seeks to prove himself as a useful person in his or her society.
      • By nature, I'm a little bit of a loner and I don't open up myself to people that easily when I meet them for the first time.
      • By nature I'm definitely a spender, but I'm trying to force myself to be a saver instead.
      • By nature, a lot of us are selfish opportunists who tend to pay a lot more mind to something when a treat is guaranteed.
      • Taking such risks is an obligation that our nature as humans imposes on us.
      Synonyms
      character, personality, disposition, temperament, temper, humour, make-up, cast of mind, turn of mind, persona, psyche, constitution, fibre
    2. 2.2 Inborn or hereditary characteristics as an influence on or determinant of personality.
      天生性格。常与NURTURE 相对
      Often contrasted with nurture
      Example sentencesExamples
      • However, he perpetuates a common misconception that the battle has been nature versus nurture.
      • I think we need to be careful when we start talking about whether it's nature or nurture.
      • It's neither nature nor nurture that determines who we are, but the choices we make.
      • He was fascinated with the idea of whether genius is the result of nature or nurture.
      • We have an innate nature, because we have inherited genes from our most successful ancestors.
      • Yes, when passion ebbs, nurture comes before nature and compassion must overflow.
      • The debate surrounding homosexuality whips up the same storms - nature versus nurture.
      • Who of us cannot look back on our growing up years and see how our parents influenced us by both nature and nurture?
      • The rapid transformation of warring societies into peaceful ones underscores the power of nurture over nature.
      • And you can answer many questions about nature versus nurture in that way.
      • Infant determinists argue for the determining effects of both nature and nurture, leaving little to individuals' free will.
      • Man is a product of nature, the argument runs, but societies are contrived by men.
      • He also has an eminently sane attitude to the ferocity of past arguments about the relative influences of nature and nurture.
    3. 2.3archaic with adjective A person of a specified character.
      〈古〉具有某种特性的人
      Emerson was so much more luminous a nature

      爱默生是一个更为睿智的人。

Phrases

  • against nature

    • Unnatural or immoral.

      不合常情的，反常的；邪恶的

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Among the founders, sodomy was universally condemned as a crime against nature.
      • There are sins against the church, and sins against nature, which is God's older and purer handiwork.
      • For many years and in many countries, homosexuality was considered the same as bestiality: a crime against nature.
      • During the past 15 years, he has pursued a global reconnaissance mission to uncover crimes against nature perpetrated by the world's military-industrial complex.
      • Hey, at least they don't engage in circumlocutions, such as ‘crime against nature.’
      • Anyway, it would be an offence against nature to put a slick and shiny, well-lubricated wok back on the shelf without it ever experiencing the slap and sizzle of meat and two veg.
      • It also condemned the practice of cloning, saying that this process is against nature and demanded that this practice should be stopped.
      • They unanimously voted to introduce legislation amending the criminal code so the county can charge homosexuals with crimes against nature.
      • "We oppose human cloning because it's against nature, " she said.
      • There were a few people who said they were cool with it, but they are totally outweighed by those who decry it as a crime against nature.
      • Soon, however, Chloe's parents help her to see Ruby's family for what they are: an affront against nature.
      • I can see I just interrupted what would normally be a crime against nature.
      • The argument is ‘if this crime against nature persists and becomes accepted by society, you know what's next: bestiality.’
      • They ask this, as if it would be a crime against nature to stop at one child.
      • For one thing, they regard defeat as an offence against nature.
      • It is self-discipline put in order the moment they commit the crime against nature.
      • How do you deal with something that's against nature: It's been asked before, as all of us who are parents can't even imagine it.
      • Is this a travesty against nature that we are doomed to repeat ad infinitum?

  • someone's better nature

    • The good side of a person's character; their capacity for tolerance, generosity, or sympathy.

      人性中善良的一面

      Charlotte planned to appeal to his better nature

      夏洛特打算求助于他善良的一面。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Perhaps if she told him about the baby, perhaps if she appealed to his better nature… Surely the life of an infant would mean something to him?
      • His rackety friends had returned to France and his better nature was in evidence.
      • We would appeal to their better nature and not pursue disciplinary action against these two men who only joined millions of England fans in watching the game.
      • But his better nature soon revealed to him the fault he had committed.
      • With my charity night approaching, I would like to appeal to your better nature in asking for prizes in the raffle.
      • I think the ‘angels of our better nature’ whisper into our hearts that eating meat is wrong.
      • Despite our better nature, it seems, fear of foreigners or other strange-seeming people comes out when we are under stress.
      • All we can do this week is appeal to their better nature and urge them to call off their mean-minded vandalism.
      • And at this point Lucasta 's better nature prevailed.
      • It prompts you to do things that go against your better nature.
      • Many had sacrificed the urgings of their better nature and committed shameful deeds for Stalin.
      • I decided to appeal to the captain 's better nature and plead my inability until I had watched a few more times.

  • from nature

    • (in art) using natural scenes or objects as models.

      （艺术用语）写生

      I wanted to paint landscape directly from nature
      Example sentencesExamples
      • The author has walked this terrain over a lifetime, and his gift for etching vivid scenes from nature is given ample play.
      • His manner has affinities with Impressionism but he seldom painted directly from nature.
      • He is by no means a copyist, but paints chiefly from nature, thinking rightly that he can do more faithful work by following this course.
      • Even a motif from nature was to be flattened and show no trace of shading, foreshortening, or perspective.
      • His paintings are expressions of inspirations from nature and his relationship to the landscape.
      • Dragons and forms from nature like leaves are often to be found on Japanese tuba.
      • He painted directly from nature, without access to the art collections of the capital, an important resource for painters.
      • The depicted subjects are taken from nature or from Japanese legends and history.
      • Chardin painted directly from nature, with little or no advance preparation.
      • Claudia is a self-taught artist who developed a more realistic style by sketching from nature.

  • get (or go) back to nature

    • Return to the type of life (regarded as being more in tune with nature) that existed before the development of complex industrial societies.

      回归自然

      Example sentencesExamples
      • I'm going back to nature, I need to find out more about myself.
      • You could hardly choose a more dramatic place in which to get back to nature.
      • A former gravel pit near Ripon has become a haven for thousands of birds since it went back to nature.
      • Ballymaloe House is on a working farm with superb gardens - a wonderful place to get back to nature and sample the best the country has to offer.
      • The integration of the building process with the natural environment allows residents to go back to nature through gardens, pools, and fountains.
      • Creation Theatre Company, is building a brand new openair theatre in Headington Hill Park, where you can languish in the leafy lushness and get back to nature.
      • If you enjoy getting back to nature you have come to the right place; much of Iceland's interior is totally uninhabited.
      • Anyone who suggests we would do better to go back to nature for our water supply is frankly nuts.
      • Rural Cyprus is the perfect setting in which to enjoy the soothing pace of village life and get back to nature through traditional agriculture.
      • I felt like I needed to get back to nature, so I started planning a camping trip.
      • Pulling a trout out of a mountain stream is a time-honored way to get back to nature.
      • It really allows you to get back to nature, focus on what's important - it's like taking a vacation without actually going anywhere.
      • The family on the farm had no idea the hen had gone back to nature and had been laying her eggs in a disused trough in the loft.
      • But getting back to nature and roughing it a little reminds you what it means to be human.
      • Either head to the sunny beach resort, get back to nature in the forest camping grounds, or head to the wintry wonderland of the snow-filled mountains.
      • There they discover what getting back to nature is really all about.
      • But if the commercialism gets too much to cope with, get back to nature on an airboat ride through alligator-infested marshland.
      • To get back to nature was great, it was a great opportunity to clear our heads.

  • in the nature of

    • Similar in type to or having the characteristics of.

      类似…的；属…一类的

      the promise was in the nature of a check that bounced
      Example sentencesExamples
      • As it turned out, most of the addresses of people in this House were in the nature of ritual protestations.
      • It looked more like something in the nature of a U2 spy plane than a commercial jet.
      • So this is actually in the nature of an apology for the extreme scarcity of posts this week.
      • Rather the lie was more in the nature of a fantasy about getting out of a life which is undesirable.
      • The other options under the tax saving bond are in the nature of deep discount bonds.
      • In general, these rights are in the nature of freedoms rather than positive rights to social or economic benefits.
      • It is in the nature of an administrative process and not a judicial process.
      • But the fact is that these are in the nature of exceptions rather than the rule.
      • As presented, while these are called diaries, they are often more in the nature of a commonplace book.
      • When dilemmas come they're in the nature of how to merge your book collection with your spouse's.
      • The request by the defendants is not in the nature of a further or additional psychiatric assessment.
      • For the reasons I have already given, I cannot see that any right in the nature of a class right is involved in the present case.
      • The gesture set the tone for his speech, which was in the nature of conciliatory advice to the new president.
      • First, I do not consider that the empty cinema could properly be described as an unusual danger in the nature of a fire hazard.
      Synonyms
      like, much the same as, comparable to, close to, near, near to, in the nature of

  • in the nature of things

    • 1Inevitable.

      必然的，理所当然的

      it is in the nature of things that the majority of music prizes get set up for performers rather than composers

      大部分的音乐奖项理所当然是为演奏者而不是为作曲者设立的。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • This was in the nature of things: it would in turn fulfil that glorious destiny for which the republic had been preparing following several decades of expansion across the great plains.
      • That was in the nature of things in our society; it was expected that my father, as one who had done well, would help others to get their start in life.
      • It undoubtedly takes a more complex and multi-faceted view of things than some of my earlier films but I think that's just in the nature of things.
      • It is in the nature of these things that the timing and duration of our visits were occasionally unpredictable.
      • It's probably in the nature of things that a Toronto awards show should be focused on Toronto talent, but some of Montreal's brightest lights did get noticed in Hogtown.

    • 2Inevitably.

      必然的，理所当然的

      in the nature of things, old people spend much more time indoors

      当然，老年人在室内待的时间要多得多。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • But his ‘crucial test’, as he now explains it, is one that, in the nature of things, simply can't be met, or would be so improbable as to amount to an impossibility.
      • We owe many faithful readers to Hugh, as well as the kind of debt that, in the nature of things, can never be repaid.
      • Toleration in its deepest essence is founded on this view of human nature, a view that, in the nature of things, impresses itself most urgently upon us at the moments of our greatest destructiveness.
      • This would be a stupid argument since phase A rather inevitably leads to phase B, and B is in the nature of things the complicated phase.
      • Such a role would, in the nature of things, be subject to numerous pressures and attempts to exploit or subvert it.
      • Tourist areas, in the nature of things, are places where others want to live.
      • The reason for this is that the affidavit in support of the claim will usually be made by the liquidator, who in the nature of things, will have no firsthand knowledge of the matters to which he deposes.
      • But in the nature of things, sometimes the greatest disaster is the greatest opportunity.
      • It's also true that in the nature of things, billionaires are more likely to be right-wing than left-wing fanatics.
      • All ethics committees require evidence of safety, but, in the nature of things, such statements have to be more provisional than is generally acknowledged.
      • Of course, in the nature of things, this is not the role of councils themselves but of entrepreneurial sectors of our community in partnership with the authorities.
      • There is also the possibility, which in the nature of things must remain shadowy, that military propagandists fostered the rumours as a way of boosting morale.
      • Yet in the nature of these things, none of these objectives can be guaranteed.

  • in a state of nature

    • 1In an uncivilized or uncultivated state.

      未开化状态的；野生状态的

      Example sentencesExamples
      • This is an amazing example of what John Locke argued in his Second Treatise about what man in a state of nature gives up when he joins a commonwealth and enters a society that agrees to give up some of their power to form a government.
      • Blacks Law Dictionary defines wild animals as ‘Animals in a untamable disposition; animals in a state of nature.’
      • King Lear too offers a perspective on man in a state of nature, clearing away the trappings of power and the symbolisms of majesty and sovereignty to place a monarch firmly on the heath.
      • All men have a right to remain in a state of nature as long as they please; and in case of intolerable oppression, civil or religious, to leave the society they belong to, and enter into another.
      • Natural rights were those rights people enjoyed in a state of nature, independent of any organized society: the right to life and liberty and the right to attempt to procure property.
      • In addition, lacking the power to impose justice on his neighbour, he lacks also the right to it; hence there is no wrongdoing in a state of nature.
      • I don't believe the Rousseau argument that if you leave everything in a state of nature, then everything will be peaceful and loving.
      • The question which now became pressing was whether the seas were regions in which men found themselves once again in a state of nature, which meant that no law could apply except that of the strongest.
      • Thomas Hobbes, in one of the best known and most abused phrases in the English language, described the life of man in a state of nature as ‘solitary, poore, nasty, brutish and short’.
      • The course of reasoning, by which this conclusion is attained, is very much this: That in a state of nature all men are free.
      • Civil liberty means the liberty of a citizen, not the abstract liberty of an individual in a state of nature.
      • Human beings living in a state of nature, and fearing death, must form a civil association by authorizing some superior power to rule them by law - an outcome Hobbes thought would most commonly come about through conquest.

    • 2Totally naked.

      裸体的

      Example sentencesExamples
      • My theory is that my great grandparents were walking happily hand-in-hand in Cannaught Place, she clad in hot pants and he completely in a state of nature.
      • He led me to a room where dozens of men were in a state of nature and invited me to change into my judo costume.

    • 3Christian Theology
      In a morally unregenerate condition, unredeemed by divine grace.

      〔基督教神学〕处于未得神恩的有罪状态

  • the nature of the beast

    • informal The inherent or essential quality or character of something, which cannot be changed.

      （人或动物的）秉性，天性

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Life has never been fair, that's just the nature of the beast.
      • It is the nature of the beast that everything has to be black and white in football.
      • It is in the nature of the beast to hold back on things to achieve some perceived advantage in life.
      • Technical perfection easily wins over any hint of real emotion, but that's largely the nature of the beast, I suppose.
      • And the key to reversing the control of this psychopathic institution is to understand the nature of the beast.
      • All network security plans are too complex; it's the nature of the beast.
      • The addition of invented material, however, changes the nature of the beast.
      • There is no question that there's a lot of instability that comes with democracy and it's the nature of the beast that it's turbulent and uncertain.
      • We may not like having to ‘borrow’ terms from other languages, but that is just the nature of the beast.
      • But that's the nature of the beast when you're doing a sprawling drama that takes place in real time.
      • I spend a lot of time in meetings that I could otherwise spend productively, but that's the nature of the beast in my profession.
      • This is both a strength and a weakness, as we will see, but ultimately it is the nature of the beast and nothing to get upset about.
      • It seems to be a win-win situation, although such is the nature of the beast that the Union is sure to grumble at losing control.
      • A lot of times those calling for the officers to continue will, in the following year, be their most ardent critics, such is the nature of the beast.
      • Creative people are rarely consistent people: it's the nature of the beast.
      • Sure, no doubt it's politically minded - that's the nature of the beast.
      • Anyone who rises to political power often loses perspective, and that's just the nature of the beast.
      • It is surely in the nature of the beast that young people will try to ‘prove themselves’ by doing what is forbidden to them (even if they do usually fail).
      • Depression imposes some limitations on those actively in its grip; it is the nature of the beast to impair cognitive functioning and to induce passivity.
      • While it's the nature of the beast, I suppose, that the tone of our commentary is critical, we are well attuned to the fact that everyone makes mistakes on occasion.

  • call of nature

    • Used euphemistically to refer to a need to urinate or defecate.

      〈婉〉要上厕所的感觉

      Example sentencesExamples
      • All the trains toilets were ‘out of order’ so it had an extended stop at each of the ten stops en-route to London for passengers to get off, answer the call of nature and get back on again.
      • We hunters and campers also need a quality light, even if our purpose is only to keep from tripping on the tent ropes when answering a midnight call of nature.
      • Visitors attending to a call of nature in one South Lakeland village this week are in for a treat as the community unveiled its lovingly restored public toilet.
      • It's lucky the car was not towed away: that would have cost £200, as happened to a cab driver I met later, who had parked for two minutes to answer a call of nature.
      • I did a quick escape at the end to answer a pressing call of nature.
      • Probably many of us have experienced the great annoyance you feel when suddenly you have to answer an urgent call of nature while out on the street yet you are unable to find a decent washroom.
      • Even if you managed to heat your house, you would still have to brave the elements to answer a call of nature in a freezing outside loo.
      • Although yesterday's driveway incident didn't keep me awake last night it did cross my mind a couple of times when I got up to answer the call of nature.
      • The Tour's unspoken code of conduct dictates that the race leader, when answering a call of nature, shall not be subjected to attacks or breakaways.
      • This vehicle's driver stopped to attend to a call of nature, and I have simply borrowed his taxi for a short time.
      • As he staggered up Victoria Road, Charles stopped to answer a call of nature.
      • The pedigree seal point cat left the house as usual to answer a call of nature, but didn't return home.

Origin

Middle English (denoting the physical power of a person): from Old French, from Latin natura ‘birth, nature, quality’, from nat- ‘born’, from the verb nasci.

noun.1
phr.
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