naturel

Pronunciation

• IPA: /na.ty.ʁɛl/^[1]

Forms

naturel (feminine naturelle, masculine plural naturels, feminine plural naturelles)^[1] Old French natural (1119), naturel from about 1130 (Eneas).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin nātūrālis (“by birth; belonging to nature; innate”), from nātūra (“nature”) (see nature), from nāscor (“to be born”).^{[4][5][3][2][6][1]} Wiktionary also analyses it as from French nature + -el.^[1]

Compare Occitan natural, Spanish natural and Italian naturale.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Philippe de Thaon's Comput (1119) has naturalz jurz, the astronomical day of 24 hours, “belonging to nature”.^[4][5] An Anglo-Norman lapidary (first half of the 12th century) uses it for what nature alone produces: glace natural.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Mort naturelle is recorded in 1256.^[4][5] In the 13th century it meant innate (Dolopathos, about 1210) and suited to a person's own nature (Jean de Meun); a seignor natural was one's lawful lord.^[4][7] Enfant naturel “born out of wedlock” dates from 1398, Littré notes that it once meant a legitimate child as well.^[4][7] Robert Estienne (1538) has it for “in keeping with reason and common usage”, whence il est naturel de (1580, Montaigne).^[4][5]

In the 17th century it described an unaffected manner (La Rochefoucauld, 1664).^[5] Mathematics has nombres naturels (1675).^[5] As a noun, le naturel is a person's temperament (1538), a lack of affectation (1671, Madame de Sévigné) and au naturel “true to life; plain” (1540); les naturels are the natives of a country (1587).^[4]

Timeline

• 1119 – Naturalz jurz, Philippe de Thaon.^[4]
• 1256 – Mort naturelle.^[4]
• 1398 – Enfant naturel.^[4]
• 1538 – Le naturel “temperament”, Robert Estienne.^[4]
• 1580 – Il est naturel de, Montaigne.^[4]
• 1587 – Les naturels “natives”, La Noue.^[4]
• 1675 – Nombres naturels.^[5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. natural, of nature: phénomènes naturels, sciences naturelles, mort naturelle.^[8][1]
2. Not artificial: gaz naturel, soie naturelle, produit naturel.^[4][1]
3. Innate: une disposition naturelle.^[4][8]
4. Normal, to be expected: c'est tout naturel, il est naturel que….^[5][8]
5. Unaffected, spontaneous: rester naturel.^[5][8]
6. Enfant naturel: a child born out of wedlock.^[4][1]
7. (mathematics) Nombre naturel, entier naturel: a natural number.^[5][1]

Noun

1. Temperament, character: un naturel jaloux.^[4][8]
2. Naturalness, lack of affectation: avec beaucoup de naturel.^[4][1]
3. Au naturel: plain, unseasoned: thon au naturel; true to life.^[4][8]
4. (dated) A native: les naturels du pays.^[4]

Word family

• naturellement
• surnaturel

Related words

• nature
• naturaliste
• naturaliser
• Latin nātūrālis

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 7, 49a
7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert