natural history
Americannoun
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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.
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the study of these sciences.
noun
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the study of animals and plants in the wild state
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the study of all natural phenomena
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the sum of these phenomena in a given place or at a given time
the natural history of Iran
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of natural history
First recorded in 1560–70
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Cassandra Hatton, global head of natural history at Sotheby's, knows very well the lengths some fossil scientists - palaeontologists - are willing to go to in the search for these creatures.
From BBC • Jul. 11, 2026
His father, Reinhold, was a Lutheran pastor, though his true interests were ancient languages, medicine and natural history.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
It’s an era of natural history with striking parallels to our own — climate change, extinction, devastating fires, a wobbling balance between humans and the rest of the natural world.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026
The study highlights the lasting importance of natural history collections.
From Science Daily • May 26, 2026
Before the voyage, Charles had been a typical natural history collector.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.