ˈnætʃrəl adj. & n. --adj. 1 a existing in or caused by
nature;
not artificial (natural landscape). b
uncultivated;
wild (existing in
its natural state). 2 in
the course of nature; not
exceptional or
miraculous (died of natural causes; a natural occurrence). 3 (of
human nature etc.) not surprising; to be expected (natural
for her to be upset). 4 a (of a
person or a person's behaviour)
unaffected,
easy,
spontaneous. b (foll. by to) spontaneous, easy (friendliness is natural to him). 5 a (of qualities etc.)
inherent;
innate (a natural
talent for music). b (of a person) having
such qualities (a natural linguist). 6 not disguised or altered (as by make-up etc.). 7
lifelike; as if in nature (the
portrait looked
very natural). 8
likely by its or
their nature to be such (natural enemies; the natural antithesis). 9 having a
physical existence as opposed to
what is
spiritual,
intellectual, etc. (the natural world). 10 a
related by nature,
out of
wedlock,
esp. in a specified
manner (her natural son). b
illegitimate (a natural child). 11 based on the innate
moral sense;
instinctive (natural justice). 12 Mus. a (of a note) not sharpened or flattened (B natural). b (of a scale) not containing
any sharps or flats. 13 not enlightened or communicated by
revelation (the natural man). --n. 1 colloq. (usu. foll. by for) a person or
thing naturally suitable,
adept,
expert, etc. (a natural for the championship). 2
archaic a person mentally
deficient from birth. 3 Mus. a a
sign (****) denoting a
return to natural pitch
after a
sharp or a flat. b a natural
note. c a
white key on a piano. 4 a Cards a
hand making 21 in the
first deal in pontoon. b a
throw of 7 or 11 at
craps. 5 a pale fawn
colour. ønatural-born having a
character or
position by birth. natural
childbirth Med. childbirth
with minimal medical or
technological intervention. natural classification a
scientific classification
according to natural features. natural
death death by
age or
disease, not by
accident,
poison,
violence, etc. natural
food food
without preservatives etc. natural
gas an
inflammable mainly methane gas found in the earth's
crust, not manufactured. natural
historian a
writer or expert on natural
history. natural history 1 the
study of animals or plants esp. as set
forth for
popular use. 2 an
aggregate of the facts
concerning the
flora and fauna etc. of a
particular place or
class (a natural history of the
Isle of Wight). natural key (or scale) Mus. a key or scale having no sharps or flats, i.e. C
major and A
minor. natural
language a language
that has developed naturally. natural
law 1 Philos.
unchanging moral principles
common to
all people by
virtue of their nature as human beings. 2 a
correct statement of an
invariable sequence between specified conditions and a specified
phenomenon. 3 the laws of nature; regularity in nature (where
they saw
chance, we see natural law). natural
life the
duration of one's life on
earth. natural
logarithm see LOGARITHM. natural
magic magic involving the supposed
invocation of
impersonal spirits. natural note Mus. a note that is
neither sharp
nor flat. natural numbers the integers 1, 2, 3, etc. natural
philosopher archaic a
physicist. natural
philosophy archaic
physics. natural
religion a religion based on
reason (opp. revealed religion);
deism. natural resources materials or conditions occurring in nature and
capable of
economic exploitation. natural
science the sciences used in the study of the physical
world, e.g. physics,
chemistry,
geology,
biology,
botany. natural
selection the
Darwinian theory of the
survival and propagation of organisms
best adapted to their
environment. natural
theology the
knowledge of
God as gained by the
light of natural reason. natural
uranium unenriched uranium. natural virtues Philos.
justice, prudence,
temperance,
fortitude. natural
year the
time taken by
one revolution of the earth
round the
sun, 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes. øønaturalness n. [ME f. OF naturel f. L naturalis (as NATURE)]