different between nature vs constitution

English

Alternative forms

• natuer (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English nature, natur, from Old French nature, from Latin n?t?ra (“birth, origin, natural constitution or quality”), future participle from perfect passive participle (g)natus (“born”), from deponent verb (g)nasci (“to be born, originate”) + future participle suffix -urus. Displaced native Middle English cunde, icunde (“nature, property, type, genus, character”) (from Old English ?ecynd), Middle English lund (“nature, disposition”) (from Old Norse lund), Middle English burthe (“nature, birth, nation”) (from Old English ?ebyrd and Old Norse *byrðr). More at kind.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?ne?t??/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?ne?t??/
• (Northern England) IPA^(key): /?n??t??/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /?næ??t??/
• (General New Zealand) IPA^(key): /?næet??/, [?næet??~?n?et??]
• Rhymes: -e?t??(?)
• Hyphenation: na?ture

Noun

nature (countable and uncountable, plural natures)

1. (uncountable) The natural world; that which consists of all things unaffected by or predating human technology, production, and design. (Compare ecosystem.)
   • 1891, Oscar Wilde, The Decay of Lying

     Nature has good intentions, of course, but, as Aristotle once said, she cannot carry them out. When I look at a landscape I cannot help seeing all its defects.

2. The innate characteristics of a thing. What something will tend by its own constitution, to be or do. Distinct from what might be expected or intended.
   • 1920, Herman Cyril McNeile, Bulldog Drummond, Ch.1:

     Being by nature of a cheerful disposition, the symptom did not surprise his servant, late private of the same famous regiment, who was laying breakfast in an adjoining room.

   • 1869, Horatio Alger, Jr., Mark the Match Boy, chapter 16:

     Mark hardly knew whether to believe this or not. He already began to suspect that Roswell was something of a humbug, and though it was not in his nature to form a causeless dislike, he certainly did not feel disposed to like Roswell.

3. The summary of everything that has to do with biological, chemical and physical states and events in the physical universe.
4. Conformity to that which is natural, as distinguished from that which is artificial, or forced, or remote from actual experience.
5. Kind, sort; character; quality.

   • A dispute of this nature caused mischief.

   • Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers, of errand not wholly obvious to their fellows, yet of such sort as to call into query alike the nature of their errand and their own relations.

6. (obsolete) Physical constitution or existence; the vital powers; the natural life.
7. (obsolete) Natural affection or reverence.

Synonyms

• (innate characteristics of a thing): quintessence, whatness; See also Thesaurus:essence

Derived terms

Pages starting with “nature”.

Related terms

Translations

Verb

nature (third-person singular simple present natures, present participle naturing, simple past and past participle natured)

1. (obsolete) To endow with natural qualities.

References

• nature at OneLook Dictionary Search
• nature in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.
• "nature" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 219.
• nature in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• nature in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

• aunter, natuer, tea urn, tea-urn, unrate

Esperanto

Adverb

nature

1. naturally

French

Etymology

From Old French nature, borrowed from Latin n?t?ra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /na.ty?/

Noun

nature f (plural natures)

1. nature
2. (grammar) lexical category

Derived terms

Adjective

nature (plural natures)

1. plain, unseasoned

   Une brioche nature ou sucrée ?

   File-moi un yaourt nature s’il te plait.

2. bareback, raw dog

   Une fellation nature.

Further reading

• “nature” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Italian

Noun

nature f

1. plural of natura

Adjective

nature (invariable)

1. natural

Anagrams

• neutra

Latin

Participle

n?t?re

1. vocative masculine singular of n?t?rus

Middle Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French nature, from Latin n?t?ra.

Noun

nature f

1. nature, force of nature
2. laws of nature, natural order
3. nature, innate characteristics
4. kind, sort
5. origin
6. sexual fertility, sex drive

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Dutch: natuur
• Limburgish: netuur, netuuer

Further reading

• “nature”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929) , “nature”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, ?ISBN

Middle English

Alternative forms

• natur, natour, nateure, nater

Etymology

From Old French nature, from Latin n?t?ra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /na??tiu?r/

Noun

nature (plural natures)

1. The Universe, existence, creation
2. nature, the natural world
3. natural abilities
4. natural inevitability, nature (as opposed to nurture)
5. natural morals, natural law
6. natural needs or requirements
7. nature, state, condition
8. species, kind, type
9. Nature (allegory)

Related terms

• natural

Descendants

• English: nature
• Scots: natur, naitur, naeter, nature
• Yola: naatur

References

• “n?t?r(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-02.

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French nature, borrowed from Latin n?t?ra.

Noun

nature f (plural natures)

1. nature

Descendants

• French: nature

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin n?t?ra.

Noun

nature f (oblique plural natures, nominative singular nature, nominative plural natures)

1. nature (natural world; nonhuman world)
2. nature (character; qualities)

Descendants

• ? Middle English: nature
  • English: nature
• Middle French: nature
  • French: nature
• ? Welsh: natur

English

Etymology

From Middle English constitucioun, constitucion (“edict, law, ordinance, regulation, rule, statute; body of laws or rules, or customs; body of fundamental principles; principle or rule (of science); creation”) from Old French constitucion (modern French constitution), a learned borrowing from Latin c?nstit?ti?, c?nstit?ti?nem (“character, constitution, disposition, nature; definition; point in dispute; order, regulation; arrangement, system”), from c?nstitu? (“to establish, set up; to confirm; to decide, resolve”) (from con- (prefix indicating a being or bringing together of several objects) + statu? (“to set up, station; to establish; to determine, fix”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh?- (“to stand (up)”))) + -ti? (suffix forming nouns relating to actions or the results of actions), -ti?nem (accusative singular of -ti?).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?k?nst??tju??(?)n/, /-?t?u?-/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?k?nst??tu?(?)n/
• Hyphenation: con?sti?tu?tion

Noun

constitution (plural constitutions)

1. The act, or process of setting something up, or establishing something; the composition or structure of such a thing; its makeup.

   Synonyms: configuration, form; see also Thesaurus:composition

   • 1876, John Herschel, Outlines of Astronomy

     the physical constitution of the sun

2. (government) The formal or informal system of primary principles and laws that regulates a government or other institutions.
3. (law) A legal document describing such a formal system.
4. A person's physical makeup or temperament, especially in respect of robustness.
   • 1828, Joseph Story, Appeal to the Republic

     Our constitutions have never been enfeebled by the vices or luxuries of the old world.
5. (dated) The general health of a person.

Derived terms

• constitutional
• metaconstitution

Related terms

• constitute
• constituent
• constituency
• constitutive

Translations

References

Further reading

• constitution on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• constitution (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

French

Etymology

From Old French constitucion, from Latin c?nstit?ti?, c?nstit?ti?nem. Morphologically, from constituer +? -tion.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k??s.ti.ty.sj??/
• Rhymes: -??
• Homophone: constitutions

Noun

constitution f (plural constitutions)

1. constitution

Further reading

• “constitution” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Norman

Etymology

From Latin c?nstit?ti?, c?nstit?ti?nem.

Pronunciation

Noun

constitution f (plural constitutions)

1. (Jersey) constitution