natural history

See synonyms for: natural historynatural historian on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the sciences, as botany, mineralogy, or zoology, dealing with the study of all objects in nature: used especially in reference to the beginnings of these sciences in former times.

  2. the study of these sciences.

Origin of natural history

1
First recorded in 1560–70

Other words from natural history

  • natural historian, noun

Words Nearby natural history

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use natural history in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for natural history

natural history

noun
  1. the study of animals and plants in the wild state

  2. the study of all natural phenomena

  1. the sum of these phenomena in a given place or at a given time: the natural history of Iran

Derived forms of natural history

  • natural historian, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for natural history

natural history

  1. The study and description of living things and natural objects, especially their origins, evolution, and relationships to one another. Natural history includes the sciences of zoology, mineralogy, geology, and paleontology.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.