Nature

Nature, in the broadest sense, is the natural, physical 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.
The term “nature” derives from the Latin word natura, or “essential qualities, innate disposition”, and in ancient times literally meant “birth”. Natura was a Latin translation of the Greek word physis (φύσις), which originally related to the intrinsic characteristics that plants, animals, and other features of the world develop of their own accord. The concept of nature as it exists today did not emerge until late antiquity. For example, Aristotle divided each living thing into soul and body; he considered plant life-forms to have souls without having developed cognitive abilities or self-awareness—what we would consider nonliving things today do not have souls according to his definition. To Aristotle himself these were just two different ways something could be alive: either by having a soul naturally (as all plants and animals do), or by possessing cognition naturally (which only humans can do). This usage continued during medieval times. During early modern period scientists increasingly sought knowledge about nature through empirical observation and experimentation rather than through an analysis based on Aristotelian principles alone.