Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: BIRTH

Date: 1200-1300
Language: Old French
Origin: Latin naturalis, from natura; NATURE

natural

1 adjective
     
natural
nat‧u‧ral1 S2 W1
1

nature

existing in nature and not caused, made, or controlled by people [↪ artificial, man-made]:
the study of the natural world (=trees, rivers, animals, plants etc)
an area of spectacular natural beauty
natural disasters (=things such as floods or earthquakes)
death from natural causes
the need for natural light in offices
2

normal

normal and as you would expect [≠ unnatural, abnormal]:
At the time, accepting his offer had seemed the most natural thing in the world.
it is natural (for somebody) to do something
It's not natural for a child of his age to be so quiet.
It's only natural that he should be interested in what happens.
It was a perfectly natural (=not surprising) mistake to make.
3

behaviour

a natural tendency or type of behaviour is part of your character when you are born, rather than one that you learn later:
Babies have a natural fear of falling.
4

ability

having a particular quality or skill without needing to be taught and without needing to try hard:
a natural musician
Cheryl has a natural elegance about her.
his natural ability with figures
5

relaxed

behaving in a way that is normal and shows you are relaxed and not trying to pretend:
Be cool, be natural.
6

parent/child

MB [only before noun]
a) someone's natural parent or child is their real parent or child, who is biologically related to them:
An adopted young person has the right to trace his natural parents.
b) old-fashioned if someone is the natural child of someone, their parents were not married to each other:
He was rumoured to be the natural son of a duke.
7

real

not connected with gods, magic, or spirits [≠ supernatural]:
I'm sure there's a perfectly natural explanation.
8

natural justice/law

justice that is based on human reason alone
9

food

with nothing added to change the taste:
natural yoghurt
10

music

APM technical a musical note that is natural has been raised from a flat by one semitone or lowered from a sharp by one semitone [↪ sharp, flat]
—naturalness noun [uncountable]
Manufacturers now choose to emphasize the naturalness of the ingredients used in their products.
Definition of natural from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
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