The essential characteristics or qualities of a person or thing; the natural world and environment; plural of nature.
From Latin 'natura,' derived from 'nasci' meaning 'to be born.' Nature originally meant 'the way something is born or made,' then expanded to mean essential character.
The word 'nature' has a hidden meaning in its etymology—it comes from 'to be born,' so your nature is literally 'how you were born,' yet we use it to describe both innate traits and the entire environment, two very different ideas.
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