nature
n 1: the essential qualities or characteristics by which
something is recognized; "it is the nature of fire to
burn"
2: a causal agent creating and controlling things in the
universe; "nature has seen to it that men are stronger
than women"
3: a wild primitive state untouched by civilization; "he lived
in the wild"; "they tried to preserve nature as they found
it" [syn: {wild}, {natural state}, {state of nature}]
4: everything that exists anywhere; "they study the evolution
of the universe"; "the biggest tree in existence" [syn: {universe},
{existence}, {creation}, {world}, {cosmos}, {macrocosm}]
5: the complex of emotional and intellectual attributes that
determine a person's characteristic actions and reactions:
"it is his nature to help others"
6: all non-artificial phenomena [syn: {natural phenomenon}]