英文的Nature来自拉丁文Natura,意即天地万物之道(the course of things, natural character) Natura 希腊文physis(φύσις)的拉丁文翻译,原意为植物、动物及其他世界面貌自身发展出来的内在特色,而φύσις在最早的文献意义为植物。
作为自然为整体的概念──物理学宇宙,是由原本的意义所而伸出来的众多解释之一;φύσιν一字最早由前苏格拉底哲学家主要使用,并自此渐渐广泛流传开来。她的用法因为现代科学方法在几世纪前出现而确立。
英语百科
Nature 自然
Nature, in the broadest sense, is the natural, physical, or material world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large part of science. Although humans are part of nature, human activity is often understood as a separate category from other natural phenomena.