Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “nature” come from?

nature (French) comes from Middle French nature, from Old French nature, from Latin nātūra, from Latin nātus, from Latin gnātus, from Proto-Italic gnātos, from Proto-Indo-European ǵn̥h₁tós, from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- — to produce, to beget, to give birth.

nature (French): nature; lexical category; plain, unseasoned

Definitions

  1. nature; lexical category; plain, unseasoned

Ancestry of “nature”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchnaturenature
2Old Frenchnaturenature
3Latinnātūra—
4Latinnātus—
5Latingnātus—
6Proto-Italicgnātos—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanǵn̥h₁tósbegotten, produced
8Proto-Indo-Europeanǵenh₁-to produce, to beget, to give birth

Words derived from “nature”

  • naturism
  • anarcho-naturism
  • naturisme
  • natură
  • nati
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- →