Natur German · revision 35630

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=9th century, Old High German|origins=la nāscor}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * [naˈtuːɐ̯]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''Natur''' ''f'' (genitive Natur, plural Naturen)^(Wiktionary)

+ Middle High German had ''natūre'', ''natūr'' and ''natiure'', the last with the sound of French ''nature''; in the 15th and 16th centuries ''nataur'' was also written.^(DWB|13, 429)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|natūre]], [[inh|goh|natūra]], [[bor|la|nātūra|t=birth; nature, character]], from [[m|la|nātus|t=born]], the past participle of [[m|la|nāscor|t=to be born, arise]].^(Kluge 2011|650)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden GWDS 1999) The Middle High German variant [[m|gmh|natiure]] shows the influence of [[fro|nature]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) The same loanword is [[nl|natuur]], [[en|nature]], [[fr|nature]], [[sv|natur]] and [[is|náttúra]].^(Kluge 2011|650)

+

+ Before the loan prevailed, the translators tried native words: Wulfila had rendered [[grc|φύσις|tr=phúsis]] with [[got|𐌲𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌸𐍃|tr=gabaurþs|t=birth]] or [[got|𐍅𐌹𐍃𐍄𐍃|tr=wists|t=being]], and the glossators of the 8th and 9th centuries used [[goh|kichunni]], and the interlinear Benedictine Rule [[m|goh|chnuat]].^(DWB|13, 429) None of these lasted, and later purist substitutes failed as well.^(DWB|13, 429)^(DFWB)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''natūra'' is recorded from the 9th century, first in Otfrid's Gospel book (863–871) and then often in Notker, with a German declension, meaning “nature, essence”.^(Kluge 2011|650)^(Köbler AHD)^(DWB|13, 429)^(Schützeichel 2012|234) The first sense was “inborn character, quality”, as in Latin, and its use for a person of a certain character is also Old High German.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The word followed the senses that Latin ''nātūra'' already had: inborn disposition, the character of a thing (''die Natur der Sache''), and the whole of what exists without human making.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) Middle High German used it widely, also for instinct, sexual desire and the body.^(Köbler MHD)^(FWB) Konrad von Megenberg's ''Buch der Natur'' (14th century) is a title of this kind.^(Paul 2002) The Deutsches Fremdwörterbuch notes that the Latin form, always present, kept the word from French influence in the 12th and 13th centuries and steadied its spelling in the 14th and 15th.^(DFWB)

+

+ Many compounds date from the early modern period: ''Naturkündiger'' (16th century), ''Naturforscher'' and ''Naturkunde'' (17th century), ''Naturgeschichte'' and ''Naturwissenschaft'' (18th century), ''Naturgesetz'' (Kant) and ''Naturschutz'' (listed by Duden in 1934).^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Paul 2002) ''Zurück zur Natur!'' renders the French ''retour à la nature'', after Rousseau.^(Duden GWDS 1999) English borrowed ''Naturphilosoph'' (1834) from German.^(LWP)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 863–871 – Otfrid uses ''natūra'', the first Old High German record.^(DWB|13, 429)^(Köbler AHD)

+ * c. 1000 – Notker uses the word often, and ''natūrlīh'' “natural” appears.^(DWB|13, 429)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 14th century – Konrad von Megenberg writes the ''Buch der Natur''.^(Paul 2002)

+ * 16th century – ''Naturkündiger'' “naturalist” is recorded.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 17th century – ''Naturforscher'' and ''Naturkunde'' appear.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 18th century – ''Naturwissenschaft'' and ''Naturgeschichte'' appear.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 1934 – Duden lists ''Naturschutz''.^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(no plural)'' [[m|en|nature|alt=Nature]]: everything that exists or develops without human action: ''die Gesetze der Natur''.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(no plural)'' The countryside, with its plants, animals and waters, little changed by people: ''unberührte Natur'', ''in freier Natur'' “in the wild”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # The inborn character or [[m|en|temperament]] of a person or animal: ''Sie ist von Natur aus schüchtern.'' ''jemandem zur zweiten Natur werden'', to become second nature to someone.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A person of a certain character: ''Er ist eine gesellige Natur.''^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(no plural)'' The particular character of a thing: ''Fragen grundsätzlicher Natur'';^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE) ''in der Natur der Sache liegen'', to be in the nature of things.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary DE)

+ # ''(no plural)'' The natural, untreated state of a material: ''ein Tisch in Eiche Natur'';^(Duden GWDS 1999) ''Natur sein'', to be genuine, not artificial.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # ''(regional, dated, euphemistic)'' The [[m|en|genitals]]; semen.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[natürlich]]

+ * [[Naturforscher]]

+ * [[Naturkunde]]

+ * [[Naturgeschichte]]

+ * [[Naturwissenschaft]]

+ * [[Naturgesetz]]

+ * [[Naturschutz]]

+ * [[Naturkatastrophe]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Naturell]]

+ * [[Naturalien]]

+ * [[Nation]]

+ * [[la|natura]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}