earth and its productions—botany, zoology, and mineralogy, esp. zoology; Natural law, the sense of right and wrong which arises from the constitution of the mind of man, as distinguished from the results of revelation or legislation; Natural numbers, the numbers 1, 2, 3, and upwards; Natural order, in botany, an order or division belonging to the natural system of classification, based on a consideration of all the organs of the plant; Natural philosophy, the science of nature, of the physical properties of bodies: physics; Natural scale, a scale of music written without sharps or flats; Natural science, the science of nature, as distinguished from that of mind (mental and moral science), and from pure science (mathematics); Natural selection, a supposed operation of the laws of nature, the result of which is the 'survival of the fittest,' as if brought about by intelligent design; Natural system, a classification of plants and animals according to real differences in structure; Natural theology, or Natural religion, the body of theological truths discoverable by reason without revelation.

Nature, nā′tūr, n. the power which creates and which regulates the material world: the power of growth: the established order of things, the universe: the qualities of anything which make it what it is: constitution: species: conformity to nature, truth, or reality: inborn mind, character, instinct, or disposition: vital power, as of man or animal: course of life: nakedness: a primitive undomesticated condition.—adj. Nā′tured, having a certain temper or disposition: used in compounds, as good-natured.—ns. Nā′ture-dē′ity, a deity personifying some force of physical nature; Nā′ture-myth, a myth symbolising natural phenomena; Nā′ture-print′ing, the process of printing in colours from plates that have been impressed with some object of nature, as a plant, leaf, &c.; Nā′ture-wor′ship, Nā′turism, worship of the powers of nature.—n. Nā′turist.—adj. Naturist′ic.—Debt of nature, death; Ease, or Relieve, nature, to evacuate the bowels. [Fr.,—L. natura—nasci, natus, to be born.]

Naught, nawt, n. no-whit, nothing.—adv. in no degree.—adj. of no value or account: worthless: bad.—Be naught, an obsolete form of malediction; Come to naught, to come to nothing, to fail; Set at naught, to treat as of no account, to despise. [Another form of nought. A.S. náht, náwiht—ná, not, wiht, a whit.]

Naughty, nawt′i, adj. bad in conduct or speech: mischievous: perverse: disagreeable.—adv. Naught′ily.—n. Naught′iness.

Naumachy, naw′ma-ki, n. a sea-fight: a show representing a sea-fight.—Also Naumach′ia. [Gr. naus, a ship, machē, a fight.]

Nauplius, naw′pli-us, n. a stage of development of low Crustaceans, as cirripeds, &c.:—pl. Nau′plii.—adjs. Nau′pliiform, Nau′plioid. [L., a kind of shell-fish—Gr. Nauplios, a son of Poseidon, naus, a ship, plein, to sail.]

Nauropometer, naw-rō-pom′e-tėr, n. an instrument for measuring a ship's heeling or inclination at sea. [Gr. naus, a ship, hropē, inclination, metron, measure.]

Nauscopy, naw′skop-i, n. the art of sighting ships at great distances. [Gr. naus, a ship, skopein, to see.]

Nausea, naw′she-a, n. sea-sickness: any sickness of the stomach, with a tendency to vomit: loathing.—adj. Nau′seant, producing nausea.—n. a substance having this quality.—v.i. Nau′seāte, to feel nausea or disgust.—v.t. to loathe: to strike with disgust.—n. Nauseā′tion.—adjs. Nau′seātive, causing nausea or loathing; Nau′seous, producing nausea: disgusting: loathsome.—adv. Nau′seously.—n. Nau′seousness. [L.,—Gr. nausia, sea-sickness—naus, a ship.]

Nautch, nawch, n. a kind of ballet-dance performed by professional dancers known as Nautch′-girls in India: any form of stage entertainment with dancing. [Hind. nāch, dance.]

Nautical, naw′tik-al, adj. of or pertaining to ships, to sailors, or to navigation: naval: marine.—adv. Nau′tically.—Nautical almanac, an almanac giving information specially useful to sailors; Nautical mile, one-sixtieth of a degree measured at the Equator (=about 2025 yards). [L. nauticus—Gr. nautikos—naus; cog. with L. navis, a ship.]

Nautilus, naw′ti-lus, n. a Cephalopod found in the southern seas, once believed to sail by means of the expanded tentacular arms: a kind of diving-bell sinking or rising by means of condensed air:—pl. Nau′tiluses, or Nau′tili.—adjs. Nau′tiliform, Nau′tiloid.—Paper nautilus, any species of Argonauta. [L.,—Gr. nautilos, a sailor.]

Naval, nā′val, adj. pertaining to ships: consisting of, or possessing, ships: marine: nautical: belonging to the navy.—Naval brigade, a body of seamen so arranged as to be able to serve on land; Naval officer, an officer on board a man-of-war: a custom-house officer of high rank in the United States; Naval tactics, the science and methods of managing and moving squadrons of ships. [Fr.,—L. navalis—navis, a ship.]

Nave, nāv, n. the middle or main body of a church, distinct from the aisles or wings.—n. Nā′varch, a Greek admiral. [Fr. nef—L. navis, a ship.]

Nave, nāv, n. the hub or piece of wood, &c., in the centre of a wheel, through which the axle passes.—v.t. to form as a nave. [A.S. nafu, nave; cf. Dut. naaf, Ger. nabe.]

Navel, nāv′l, n. the mark or depression in the centre of the lower part of the abdomen, at first a small projection.—n. Nāv′el-string, the umbilical cord. [A.S. nafela, dim. of nafu, nave.]

Navew, nā′vū, n. the wild turnip.

Navicular, nav-ik′ū-lar, adj. pertaining to small ships or boats: (bot.) boat-shaped: scaphoid.—n. a bone in man and animals, so called from its shape.—n. Navic′ula, an incense-boat.—Navicular disease, an inflammation, often rheumatic, of the small bone—the navicular—in horses, below which passes the strong flexor tendon of the foot. [L. navicularis—navicula, dim. of navis, a ship.]

Navigate, nav′i-gāt, v.t. to steer or manage a ship in sailing: to sail upon.—v.i. to go in a vessel or ship: to sail.—ns. Navigabil′ity,