natural history
9
3.8
- noun
- /ˈnæʧərəl ˈhɪstəri/
- Specialized
:
historia natural
- The natural history museum has a fascinating collection of fossils.
- natural history museum
- natural history collection
- natural history of animals
I, I, I generally love the study of, of Natural History because it helps keep us kind of humble.
- I, I, I generally love the study of, of Natural History because it helps keep us kind of humble.
- This is a method of using Natural History data over time to be able to determine proximate cause.
- So we've got here like an evolutionary account or Natural History account of the Wazzle bugs, their, their appearance and their, their speech.
- So I think that a lot of I think a lot of popular Natural History likes to portray the animal Kingdom in very human terms.
Examples
-
But the survey also contained interesting observations on political, agricultural, and natural history (Wailes, Diary, 27 Jan. 1852).
Academic text (2017) -
The expedition's mission was to describe the topography, geology, and natural history of the West.
Academic text (1991) -
I work for a natural history museum.
-
I was just over at the museum of natural history, visiting your act.
-
It's a natural history expedition.
-
Mississippi had a whole new natural history she would have to learn.
Fiction book (2001) -
Such an approach requires detailed knowledge of the natural history of many cricket species.
Academic text (1991) -
Well, I've always loved Natural History as a subject.
-
Is there anyone else as knowledgeable about the natural history of the polar regions?
Fiction book (1999) -
Our overall picture of the natural history of Grandidier's mongoose is, at best, still sketchy.
Academic text (1990)
Synonyms
1
3.1
A school activity where children look at plants and animals in nature
How Scientific
223
4.7
- Specialized
46
3.8
11
3.8
- Specialized
9
3.8
1
3.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'natural' (relating to nature) with 'history' (a study or account of past events), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to the study/recording of the natural world (plants, animals). This compound pattern is common cross-linguistically (e.g. Spanish 'historia natural', French 'histoire naturelle') and follows regular English noun-modifier composition, making it transparent.
Etymology
Natural history comes from old books where people wrote a 'history' — that is, a record — of the natural world by listing and describing plants and animals, and history here meant 'a written account' rather than 'the past'. Those writers watched nature and wrote about what they saw, so today natural history means studying plants and animals by watching and recording them.