Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “nature” come from?

nature (Middle English) comes 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 (Middle English): The Universe, existence, creation; nature, the...

Definitions

  1. The Universe, existence, creation; nature, the...

Ancestry of “nature”, step by step

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

Words derived from “nature”

  • nature
  • natured
  • naturedly
  • naturopathic
  • naturopathy
  • naturopath
  • renaturation
  • naturist
  • renature
  • disnatured
  • unnature
  • antinature
  • natureless
  • naturelessness
  • naturescape
  • naturopathically
  • naturistic
  • nonnature
  • transnature
  • preternature
  • deminatured
  • naturity
  • naturistically
  • naturogenic
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- →