natural history

noun

1

: a treatise on some aspect of nature

2

: the natural development of something (such as an organism or disease) over a period of time

3

: the study of natural objects especially in the field from an amateur or popular point of view

Examples of natural history in a Sentence

the natural history of bees

We went to the Natural History Museum.

Recent Examples on the Web

Editing the self This is a natural history of painting, but also a natural history of the self. —Literary Hub, 12 May 2026

Meanwhile co-host Paddy Young noted that famed natural history broadcaster David Attenborough turned 100 years old yesterday. —K.j. Yossman, Variety, 9 May 2026

The short, entitled A Very Special Delivery, was produced by BBC Studios’ natural history unit. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026

Future of microscope slide collections Digitizing microscope slides in natural history museums and automating how microfossils are labeled opens up more opportunities for researchers to share and study hundreds of billions of specimens in collections around the globe. —Ingrid C. Romero, The Conversation, 5 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for natural history

• consistory
• ethnohistory
• mystery

Kids Definition

natural history

noun

: the study of natural objects and especially plants and animals as they live in nature from an amateur or popular point of view

Medical Definition

natural history

noun

: the natural development of something (as an organism or disease) over a period of time

increasing knowledge of the natural histories of tumors

—H. S. N. Greene