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

Here’s word on the latest natural history series out of North America. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025

Slovak edits a wide range of fiction and nonfiction, including memoir, cultural history, science, and natural history. —Paul Slovak september 8, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025

Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History The Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History is a mix of the natural history of Brazos County and general educational natural history. —Jill Robbins, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025

Those panels are meant to mimic rock formations at Mill Bluff State Park – a way to embed Wisconsin’s natural history into the museum’s architecture. —Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 29 Aug. 2025

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