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10. (Mus.) (a) Produced by natural organs, as those of the human throat, in distinction from instrumental music. (b) Of or pertaining to a key which has neither a flat nor a sharp for its signature, as the key of C major. (c) Applied to an air or modulation of harmony which moves by easy and smooth transitions, digressing but little from the original key. (d) Neither flat nor sharp; -- of a tone. (e) Changed to the pitch which is neither flat nor sharp, by appending the sign ♮; as, A natural. Moore (Encyc. of Music).
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11. Existing in nature or created by the forces of nature, in contrast to production by man; not made, manufactured, or processed by humans; as, a natural ruby; a natural bridge; natural fibers; a deposit of natural calcium sulfate. Opposed to artificial, man-made, manufactured, processed and synthetic. [wns=2]
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12. Hence: Not processed or refined; in the same statre as that existing in nature; as, natural wood; natural foods.
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Coloq. Natural day , the space of twenty-four hours. Chaucer.
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-- Coloq. Natural fats , Coloq. Natural gas , etc. See under , . etc. -- Coloq. Natural Harmony (Mus.), the harmony of the triad or common chord. -- Coloq. Natural history , in its broadest sense, a history or description of nature as a whole, including the sciences of botany, zoölogy, geology, mineralogy, paleontology, chemistry, and physics. In recent usage the term is often restricted to the sciences of botany and zoölogy collectively, and sometimes to the science of zoology alone. -- Coloq. Natural law , that instinctive sense of justice and of right and wrong, which is native in mankind, as distinguished from specifically revealed divine law, and formulated human law. -- Coloq. Natural modulation (Mus.), transition from one key to its relative keys. -- Coloq. Natural order . (Nat. Hist.) See under . -- Coloq. Natural person . (Law) See under , n. -- Coloq. Natural philosophy , originally, the study of nature in general; the natural sciences; in modern usage, that branch of physical science, commonly called physics, which treats of the phenomena and laws of matter and considers those effects only which are unaccompanied by any change of a chemical nature; -- contrasted with mental philosophy and moral philosophy. -- Coloq. Natural scale (Mus.), a scale which is written without flats or sharps. Model would be a preferable term, as less likely to mislead, the so-called artificial scales (scales represented by the use of flats and sharps) being equally natural with the so-called natural scale. -- Coloq. Natural science , the study of objects and phenomena existing in nature, especially biology, chemistry, physics and their interdisciplinary related sciences; natural history, in its broadest sense; -- used especially in contradistinction to social science, mathematics, philosophy, mental science or moral science. -- Coloq. Natural selection (Biol.), the operation of natural laws analogous, in their operation and results, to designed selection in breeding plants and animals, and resulting in the survival of the fittest; the elimination over time of species unable to compete in specific environments with other species more adapted to survival; -- the essential mechanism of evolution. The principle of natural selection is neutral with respect to the mechanism by which inheritable changes occur in organisms (most commonly thought to be due to mutation of genes and reorganization of genomes), but proposes that those forms which have become so modified as to be better adapted to the existing environment have tended to survive and leave similarly adapted descendants, while those less perfectly adapted have tended to die out through lack of fitness for the environment, thus resulting in the survival of the fittest. See . -- Coloq. Natural system (Bot. & Zoöl.), a classification based upon real affinities, as shown in the structure of all parts of the organisms, and by their embryology.

It should be borne in mind that the natural system of botany is natural only in the constitution of its genera, tribes, orders, etc., and in its grand divisions. Gray.

-- Coloq. Natural theology , or Coloq. Natural religion , that part of theological science which treats of those evidences of the existence and attributes of the Supreme Being which are exhibited in nature; -- distinguished from revealed religion. See Quotation under , a., 3. -- Coloq. Natural vowel , the vowel sound heard in urn, furl, sir, her, etc.; -- so called as being uttered in the easiest open position of the mouth organs. See Neutral vowel, under and Guide to Pronunciation, § 17.
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Syn. -- See .
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Natural (?; 135), n. 1. A native; an aboriginal. [Obs.] Sir W. Raleigh.
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2. pl. Natural gifts, impulses, etc. [Obs.] Fuller.
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3. One born without the usual powers of reason or understanding; an idiot. “The minds of naturals.” Locke.
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4. (Mus.) A character [♮] used to contradict, or to remove the effect of, a sharp or flat which has preceded it, and to restore the unaltered note.
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5. A person who has an innate talent that makes success in some specific endeavor, such as sports, much easier than for others; as, Pele was a natural in soccer.
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natural family, n. (Biol.) a group of living organisms classed as a family in a toxonomic classification.
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natural gas n. The combustible gas found associated with petroleum deposits, and also in other geological formations, comprised predominantly of methane plus variable other constitutents. It is an important source of energy, and is transported long distances by pipelines, or in a liquefied state in tankers, for commercial distribution. Some natural gas deposits contain helium, and comprise the primary source of that rare element.
Syn. -- gas.
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Naturalism (?), n. [Cf. F. naturalisme.] 1. A state of nature; conformity to nature.
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2. (Metaph.) The doctrine of those who deny a supernatural agency in the miracles and revelations recorded in the Bible, and in spiritual influences; also, any system of philosophy which refers the phenomena of nature to a blind force or forces acting necessarily or according to fixed laws, excluding origination or direction by one intelligent will.
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3. The theory that art or literature should conform to nature; realism; also, the quality, rendering, or expression of art or literature executed according to this theory.
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4. Specifically: The principles and characteristics professed or represented by a 19th-century school of realistic writers, notably by Zola and Maupassant, who aimed to give a literal transcription of reality, and laid special stress on the analytic study of character, and on the scientific and experimental nature of their observation of life.
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naturalist, n. [Cf. F. naturaliste.] 1. One versed in natural science; a student of natural history, esp. of the natural history of plants or animals; a botanist or zoologist.
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2. One who holds or maintains the doctrine of naturalism in religion. H. Bushnell.
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Naturalistic (?), a. 1. Belonging to the doctrines of naturalism.
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2. Closely resembling nature; realistic. “Naturalistic bit of pantomime.” W. D. Howells.
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Naturality (?), n. [L. naturalitas: cf. F. naturalité.] Nature; naturalness. [R.]
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Naturalization (?), n. [Cf. F. naturalisation.] The act or process of naturalizing, esp. of investing an alien with the rights and privileges of a native or citizen; also, the state of being naturalized.
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Naturalize (?; 135), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Naturalized (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Naturalizing (#).] [Cf. F. naturaliser. See .] 1. To make natural; as, custom naturalizes labor or study.
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2. To confer the rights and privileges of a native subject or citizen on; to make as if native; to adopt, as a foreigner into a nation or state, and place in the condition of a native subject.
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3. To receive or adopt as native, natural, or vernacular; to make one's own; as, to naturalize foreign words.
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4. To adapt; to accustom; to habituate; to acclimate; to cause to grow as under natural conditions.
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Its wearer suggested that pears and peaches might yet be naturalized in the New England climate. Hawthorne.
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Naturalize, v. i. 1. To become as if native.
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2. To explain phenomena by natural agencies or laws, to the exclusion of the supernatural.
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Infected by this naturalizing tendency. H. Bushnell.
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naturalized adj. 1. Acclimated to a new environment; introduced from another region and persisting without cultivation; -- of plants or animals not native to a location. [wns=1 & 3]
Syn. -- domesticated, nonnative.
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2. planted randomly in soil so as to give an appearance of wild growth; as, drifts of naturalized daffodils.
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Naturally, adv. In a natural manner or way; according to the usual course of things; spontaneously.
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Naturalness, n. The state or quality of being natural; conformity to nature.
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Natural product, n. (Chem., Biochem.) A chemical substance produced by a living organism; -- a term used commonly in reference to chemical substances found in nature that have distinctive pharmacological effects. Such a substance is considered a natural product even if it can be prepared by total synthesis.
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Natural product chemistry, n. (Chem.) That branch of chemistry which deals with the isolation, identification, structure elucidation, and study of the chemical characteristics of chemical substances produced by living organisms.
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Natural steel. Steel made by the direct refining of cast iron in a finery, or, as wootz, by a direct process from the ore.
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Nature (?; 135), n. [F., fr. L. natura, fr. natus born, produced, p. p. of nasci to be born. See .] 1. The existing system of things; the universe of matter, energy, time and space; the physical world; all of creation. Contrasted with the world of mankind, with its mental and social phenomena.
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But looks through nature up to nature's God. Pope.
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When, in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bonds which have connected them with another, ans to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal Station which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes that impel them to the Separation. Declaration of Independence

Nature has caprices which art can not imitate. Macaulay.
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2. The personified sum and order of causes and effects; the powers which produce existing phenomena, whether in the total or in detail; the agencies which carry on the processes of creation or of being; -- often conceived of as a single and separate entity, embodying the total of all finite agencies and forces as disconnected from a creating or ordering intelligence; as, produced by nature; the forces of nature.
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I oft admire
How Nature, wise and frugal, could commit
Such disproportions. Milton.
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3. The established or regular course of things; usual order of events; connection of cause and effect.
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4. Conformity to that which is natural, as distinguished from that which is artificial, or forced, or remote from actual experience.
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One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. Shak.
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5. The sum of qualities and attributes which make a person or thing what it is, as distinct from others; native character; inherent or essential qualities or attributes; peculiar constitution or quality of being.
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Thou, therefore, whom thou only canst redeem,
Their nature also to thy nature join,
And be thyself man among men on earth. Milton.
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6. Hence: Kind, sort; character; quality.
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A dispute of this nature caused mischief. Dryden.
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7. Physical constitution or existence; the vital powers; the natural life. “My days of nature.” Shak.
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Oppressed nature sleeps. Shak.
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8. Natural affection or reverence.
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Have we not seen
The murdering son ascend his parent's bed,
Through violated nature force his way? Pope.
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9. Constitution or quality of mind or character.
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A born devil, on whose nature
Nurture can never stick. Shak.
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That reverence which is due to a superior nature. Addison.
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Coloq. Good nature , Coloq. Ill nature . see under and . -- Coloq. In a state of nature . (a) Naked as when born; nude. (b) In a condition of sin; unregenerate. (c) Untamed; uncivilized. -- Coloq. Nature printing , a process of printing from metallic or other plates which have received an impression, as by heavy pressure, of an object such as a leaf, lace, or the like. -- Coloq. Nature worship , the worship of the personified powers of nature. -- Coloq. To pay the debt of nature , to die.
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Nature, v. t. To endow with natural qualities. [Obs.]
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He [God] which natureth every kind. Gower.
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Natured (?; 135), a. Having (such) a nature, temper, or disposition; disposed; -- used in composition; as, good-natured, ill-natured, etc.
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Natureless (?), a. Not in accordance with nature; unnatural. [Obs.] Milton.
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Naturism (?), n. (Med.) The belief or doctrine that attributes everything to nature as a sanative agent.
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Naturist, n. One who believes in, or conforms to, the theory of naturism. Boyle.
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Naturity (?), n. The quality or state of being produced by nature. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
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Naturize (?), v. t. To endow with a nature or qualities; to refer to nature. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
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nauch n. an intricate traditional dance in India performed by professional dancing girls.
Syn. -- nautch, nautch dance.
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Nauclea prop. n. A small genus of evergreen tropical shrubs or trees with smooth leathery leaves.
Syn. -- genus Nauclea.
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Naufrage (?; 48), n. [F., fr. L. naufragium; navis + frangere.] Shipwreck; ruin. [Obs.] acon.
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Naufragous (?), a. [L. naufragus. See .] causing shipwreck. [Obs.] r. Taylor.
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Naught (n�t), n. [OE. naught, nought, naht, nawiht, AS. nāwiht, nāuht, nāht; ne not + ā ever + wiht thing, whit; hence, not ever a whit. See , adv. , and cf. , .] 1. Nothing. [Written also nought.]
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Doth Job fear God for naught? Job i. 9.
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2. The arithmetical character 0; a cipher. See .
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Coloq. To set at naught , to treat as of no account; to disregard; to despise; to defy; to treat with ignominy. “Ye have set at naught all my counsel.” Prov. i. 25.
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Naught, adv. In no degree; not at all. Chaucer.
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To wealth or sovereign power he naught applied. Fairfax.
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Naught, a. 1. Of no value or account; worthless; bad; useless.
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It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer. Prov. xx. 14.
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Go, get you to your house; begone, away!
All will be naught else. Shak.
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Things naught and things indifferent. Hooker.
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2. Hence, vile; base; naughty. [Obs.]
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No man can be stark naught at once. Fuller.
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Naughtily (?), adv. In a naughty manner; wickedly; perversely. Shak.
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Naughtiness, n. The quality or state of being naughty; perverseness; badness; wickedness.
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I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart. 1 Sam. xvii. 28.
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Naughtly (?), adv. Naughtily; wrongly. [Obs.]
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because my parents naughtly brought me up. Mir. for Mag.
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Naughty (?), a. [Compar. Naughtier (?); superl. Naughtiest.] 1. Having little or nothing. [Obs.]
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[Men] that needy be and naughty, help them with thy goods. Piers Plowman.
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2. Worthless; bad; good for nothing. [Obs.]
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The other basket had very naughty figs. Jer. xxiv. 2.
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3. hence, corrupt; wicked. [Archaic]
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So shines a good deed in a naughty world. Shak.
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4. Mischievous; perverse; froward; guilty of disobedient or improper conduct; as, a naughty child.
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☞ This word is now seldom used except in the latter sense, as applied to children, or in sportive censure.
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Nauheim treatment (?). (Med.) Orig., a method of therapeutic treatment administered, esp. for chronic diseases of the curculatory system, at Bad Nauheim, Germany, by G. Schott, consisting in baths in the natural mineral waters of that place, which are charged with carbonic acid, and the use of a graduated course of rest, physical exercises, massage, etc.; hence, any similar treatment using waters artificially charged with the essential ingredients of the natural mineral waters of Bad Nauheim. Hence, Nauheim bath, etc.
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naumachia n. Same as .
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Naumachy (n�mȧk�), n. [L. naumachia, Gr. naymachia; nay^s ship + machh fight, battle, machesqai to fight.] 1. A naval battle; esp., a mock sea fight put on by the ancient Romans.
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2. (Rom. Antiq.) A show or spectacle representing a sea fight; also, a place for such exhibitions.
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Nauplius (?), n.; pl. Nauplii (#). [L., a kind of shellfish, fr. Gr. nay^s ship + � to sail.] (Zoöl.) A crustacean larva having three pairs of locomotive organs (corresponding to the antennules, antennæ, and mandibles), a median eye, and little or no segmentation of the body.
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Nauropometer (?), n. [Gr. nay^s ship + � inclination + -meter.] (Naut.) An instrument for measuring the amount which a ship heels at sea.
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Nauruan prop. adj. 1. Of or pertaining to Nauru; as, Nauruan artifacts.
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2. Of or pertaining to the inhabitants of Nauru; as, Nauruan natives.
Syn. -- Nauran.
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Nauscopy (?), n. [Gr. nay^s ship + -scopy: cf. F. nauscopie.] (Naut.) The power or act of discovering ships or land at considerable distances.
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Nausea (? or �), n. [L., fr. Gr. �, fr. nay^s ship. See of a church, and cf. .] Seasickness; hence, any similar sickness of the stomach accompanied with a propensity to vomit; qualm; squeamishness of the stomach; loathing.
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Nauseant (?), n. [L. nauseans, p. pr. Of nauseare.] (Med.) A substance which produces nausea; an emetic.
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Nauseate (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Nauseated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Nauseating.] [L. nauseare, nauseatum, fr. nausea. See .] To become squeamish; to feel nausea; to turn away with disgust.
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Nauseate, v. t. 1. To affect with nausea; to sicken; to cause to feel loathing or disgust.
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2. To sicken at; to reject with disgust; to loathe.
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The patient nauseates and loathes wholesome foods. Blackmore.
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Nauseation (?), n. The act of nauseating, or the state of being nauseated.
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Nauseative (? or �), a. Causing nausea; nauseous.
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Nauseous (?; 277), a. [L. nauseosus.] 1. Causing, or fitted to cause, nausea; sickening; loathsome; disgusting; exciting abhorrence; as, a nauseous drug or medicine.
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2. Feeling nausea; as, nauseous from the effects of chemotherapy.
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-- Nauseously, adv. -- Nauseousness, n.
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The nauseousness of such company disgusts a reasonable man. Dryden.
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Nautch (?), n. [Hind. nāch, fr. Skr. nṛtya dance.] An entertainment consisting chiefly of dancing by professional dancing (or Nautch) girls. [India]
Syn. -- nauch.
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Nautic (?), a. [See .] Nautical.
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Nautical (?), a. [L. nauticus, Gr. naytikos, fr. nayths a seaman, sailor, fr. nay^s ship: cf. F. nautique. See of a church.] Of or pertaining to seamen, to the art of navigation, or to ships; as, nautical skill.
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Syn. -- Naval; marine; maritime. See .
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Coloq. Nautical almanac . See under . -- Coloq. Nautical distance , the length in nautical miles of the rhumb line joining any two places on the earth's surface. -- Coloq. nautical mile . See under .
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Nautically, adv. In a nautical manner; with reference to nautical affairs.
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Nautiform (?), a. [Gr. nay^s ship + -form.] Shaped like the hull of a ship.
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Nautilidae prop. n. A natural family of spiral-shelled cephalopods.
Syn. -- family Nautilidae.
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Nautilite (?), n. (Paleon.) A fossil nautilus.
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Nautiloid (?), a. [Nautilus + -oid: cf. F. nautiloïde.] (Zoöl.) Like or pertaining to the nautilus; shaped like a nautilus shell. -- n. A mollusk, or shell, of the genus Nautilus or family Nautilidæ.
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Nautilus (?), n.; pl. E. Nautiluses (#), L. Nautili (#). [L., fr. Gr. naytilos a seaman, sailor, a kind of shellfish which was supposed to be furnished with a membrane which served as a sail; fr. nay^s ship. See of a church.] 1. (Zoöl.) The only existing genus of tetrabranchiate cephalopods. About four species are found living in the tropical Pacific, but many other species are found fossil. The shell is spiral, symmetrical, and chambered, or divided into several cavities by simple curved partitions, which are traversed and connected together by a continuous and nearly central tube or siphuncle. See .
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☞ The head of the animal bears numerous simple tapered arms, or tentacles, arranged in groups, but not furnished with suckers. The siphon, unlike, that of ordinary cephalopods, is not a closed tube, and is not used as a locomotive organ, but merely serves to conduct water to and from the gill cavity, which contains two pairs of gills. The animal occupies only the outer chamber of the shell; the others are filled with gas. It creeps over the bottom of the sea, not coming to the surface to swim or sail, as was formerly imagined.
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2. The argonaut; -- also called paper nautilus. See , and Paper nautilus, under .
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3. A variety of diving bell, the lateral as well as vertical motions of which are controlled, by the occupants.
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Navajoes (?), n. pl.; sing. Navajo (�). (Ethnol.) A tribe of Indians inhabiting New Mexico and Arizona, allied to the Apaches. They are now largely engaged in agriculture.
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Naval (nāv�l), a. [L. navalis, fr. navis ship: cf. F. naval. See of a church.] Having to do with shipping; of or pertaining to ships or a navy; consisting of ships; as, naval forces, successes, stores, etc.
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