English → Latin
“nature” in Latin
nātūrathe nature, quality, substance or essence of a thing; character, temperament, inclination, disposition; nature, the natuindolēsinnate or inborn quality; nature; natural ability; talentmundusclean, pure; neat; nice, fine, elegant, sophisticated; decorated, adornedagerfield; acre; land; estate; park; territorycampusOpen flat level ground: a plain, a natural field; Any flat or level surface; a specific plain or field north of Rome’s wrūscountryside, country, lands, fields; farm, estate; villageingeniuminnate or natural quality, natural character; nature; disposition, temper, inclination; intelligence, natural capacitycōnstitūtiōa constitution, disposition, nature, character; a definition; point in dispute; a regulation, order, arrangement, systemaffectiōThe relation or disposition towards something produced in a person.; A change in the state of the body or mind of a persanimuslife, life force, soul, vitality (that life-giving aspect which animates a thing); conscience, intellect, mind, reason,
The English word nature itself goes back to Latin nāscor, through nātūra.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
nature
System according to which things exist, natura (answering to the English word in all its senses): indoles (natural peculiarity): natura rerum, mundus (the universe, world): agri, campi, rus (the fields, etc.; opposed to town, art; ☞ in this sense not natura): by nature, natura; naturaliter: proper or peculiar to nature, naturalis; proprius et naturalis: according to the nature of anybody, alicui innatus or insitus: fortified by nature, natura or naturaliter munitus: according to nature, secundum naturam (opposed to contra naturam): naturae convenienter (e.g., vivere): the nature of a thing, natura or ratio rei: such is the nature of the thing, ita fert natura rei: the nature of men, hominis natura: to become a second nature, ex consuetudine in naturam vertere; jam naturae vim obtinere: to put off one’s nature, versare suam naturam: nature assisted itself (in a disease), morbus sua sponte decessit: to live in a state of nature (without laws), libere or sine legibus vivere: to remain true to nature, nihil a statu naturae recedere: it is all neuter with him, nihil arti debet: to paint or draw from nature, ex rebus veris exempla sumere (of painters or writers): ad exemplum animale pingere aliquid (to paint anything after a living model): animate and inanimate nature, animalia inanimaliaque (nominative, plur.): a thing required by nature, res quam natura desiderat; res necessaria: an investigator of nature, physicus (φυσικός); or pure Latin, speculator venatorque naturae (Cic., N.D., 1, 30, 83): inquisitor rerum naturae (Sen., N.Q., 6, 13, 2): investigator earum rerum, quae a natura involutae videntur (Cic., Univ., 1, init.): an investigation of nature, investigatio rerum naturae (after Cic., Fin., 5, 4, 10): a gift of nature, donum or munus naturae (general term): conformable to nature, naturae conveniens or congruens: naturae or ad naturam accommodatus (opposed to naturae or a natura alienus): to be conformable to nature, naturae convenire; secundum naturam esse: conformably to nature, secundum naturam (opposed to contra naturam; e.g., vivere): a law of nature, lex naturae or naturalis (general term), ratio profecta a rerum natura: it is a law of nature, hoc natura praescribit; est (autem) a natura comparatum ut (subjunctive): to act contrary to nature, contra legem naturae facere: right of nature, naturae jus (a single right): jus naturale (compass of all the rights of nature; opposed to jus civile): the kingdom of nature, i. e., the whole visible world, rerum natura; mundus: a state of nature, status naturae: an impulse of nature, natura: contrary to nature, naturae or a natura alienus: in a manner contrary to nature, contra naturam: a call of nature, desiderium naturale corporis; naturae necessitas: to comply with a call of nature, necessitati parere.
Natural quality, natura, indoles, ingenium (essential, proper quality): constitutio (imparted by forming, training or education): affectio (the state or condition of a thing, especially in relation to another; e.g., of the soul to external objects): habitus (the internal or external state or condition of a thing) peculiar nature, proprietas: good nature, bonitas: ill nature, asperitas (roughness): nature of the soil, soli natura, or ingenium: nature of the body, corporis affectio, constitutio: nature of the weather, mind, affectio caeli, animi: according to the nature of the place, ex loci natura; uti loci natura fert according to the nature of the thing, pro re; pro re nata: according to the nature of circumstances, ut res dant sese (Vid: Ruhnken, Ter., Heaut., 5, 1, 43): according to the nature of the times, pro tempore; pro temporis ratione: according to the nature of time and circumstances, prout res ac tempus se daret: of like nature, similis: of a different nature, diversus (ab).
Natural character, natura, indoles, ingenium: animus (the three first, the original cast of the individual’s mind; animus, his whole moral and intellectual nature): mores (his moral nature): vita (his kind of life): persona (the part he plays, as it were, on the theatre of civil life, Cic., Lael., 1, 4: Quint., 10, 1, 55). ☞ All these expressions denote only a part of the whole nature: to denote the whole, join indoles animi ingeniique (Liv., 10, 17); natura et mores; mores naturaque; ingenium ac mores; vita moresque; mos et natura (e.g., of a people, gentis): goodness of nature, bonitas: a gentle, kind, affable nature, comitas; humanitas; ingenium lene, liberale: a harsh, inexorable nature, ingenium durum atque inexorabile: an affable, gentle nature, mores faciles: a noble nature, animus magnus, excelsus, altus; altitudo animi: a fickle nature, ingenium mobile: of a mild nature, mitis ingenio.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for nature?
- The usual Latin words for “nature” are nātūra, indolēs, mundus; also ager, campus, rūs. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.