different between natural vs concrete

English

Alternative forms

• naturall (obsolete)
• nat'ral (AAVE)

Etymology

From Middle English natural, borrowed from Old French natural, naturel, from Latin n?t?r?lis, from n?tus, the perfect participle of n?scor (“be born”, verb).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: n?ch??r-?l, n?ch?r?l IPA^(key): /?næt????l/, /?næt???l/
• (General American) enPR: n?ch??r-?l, n?ch?r?l, IPA^(key): /?næt????l/, /-??l/, /?næt???l/
• Rhymes: -æt????l, -æt???l
• Hyphenation: nat?u?ral, natu?ral

Adjective

natural (comparative more natural, superlative most natural)

1. That exists and evolved within the confines of an ecosystem.

2. Of or relating to nature.

3. Without artificial additives.

4. As expected; reasonable.
5. (music) Neither sharp nor flat. Denoted ?.

6. (music) Produced by natural organs, such as those of the human throat, in distinction from instrumental music.
7. (music) Applied to an air or modulation of harmony which moves by easy and smooth transitions, digressing but little from the original key.# (mathematics) Having 1 as the base of the system, of a function or number.
8. Without, or prior to, modification or adjustment.
   1. (dice games) The result of a dice roll before bonuses or penalties are added to or subtracted from the result.
9. Having the character or sentiments properly belonging to one's position; not unnatural in feelings.
10. (obsolete) Connected by the ties of consanguinity.
11. Related genetically but not legally to one's father; born out of wedlock, illegitimate.
    • 1990, Roy Porter, English Society in the 18th Century, Penguin 1991, p. 264:

      Dr Erasmus Darwin set up his two illegitimate daughters as the governesses of a school, noting that natural children often had happier (because less pretentious) upbringings than legitimate.

12. (of sexual intercourse) Without a condom.

13. (bridge) Bidding in an intuitive way that reflects one's actual hand.

Synonyms

• (exists in an ecosystem): see Thesaurus:innate or Thesaurus:native
• (as expected): inevitable, necessary, reasonable; See also Thesaurus:inevitable
• (without adjustment): see Thesaurus:raw
• (connected by consanguinity): see Thesaurus:consanguine
• (born out of wedlock): see Thesaurus:illegitimate
• (without a condom): see Thesaurus:condomless

Antonyms

• (exists in an ecosystem): aberrant, abnormal, artificial
• (as expected): see Thesaurus:strange
• (without additives): processed
• (bridge): conventional

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

natural (plural naturals)

1. (now rare) A native inhabitant of a place, country etc. [from 16th c.]
   • 1615, Ralph Hamor, A True Discourse of the Present State of Virginia, Richmond 1957, page 3:

     I coniecture and assure my selfe that yee cannot be ignorant by what meanes this peace hath bin thus happily both for our proceedings and the welfare of the Naturals concluded [...].

2. (music) A note that is not or is no longer to be modified by an accidental. [from 17th c.]
3. (music) The symbol ? used to indicate such a natural note.
4. One with an innate talent at or for something. [from 18th c.]

5. An almost white colour, with tints of grey, yellow or brown; originally that of natural fabric. [from 20th c.]

6. (archaic) One with a simple mind; a fool or idiot.
   • 1633, A Banqvet of Jests: or, Change of Cheare. Being a collection, of Moderne Ie?ts. Witty Ieeres. Plea?ant Taunts. Merry Tales. The Second Part newly publi?hed, page 30:

     A Noble-man tooke a great liking to a naturall, and had covenanted with his parents to take him from them and to keepe him for his plea?ure, and demanding of the Ideot if he would ?erve him, he made him this an?were, My Father ?aith he, got me to be his foole of my mother, now if you long to have a foole; go & without doubt you may get one of your owne wife.

7. (colloquial, chiefly Britain) One's natural life.
   • 1929, Frederic Manning, The Middle Parts of Fortune, Vintage 2014, page 155:

     ‘Sergeant-Major Robinson came in in the middle of it, and you've never seen a man look more surprised in your natural.’

8. (US, colloquial) A hairstyle for people with Afro-textured hair in which the hair is not straightened or otherwise treated.
   • 2002, Maxine Leeds Craig, Ain't I a Beauty Queen?: Black Women, Beauty, and the Politics of Race, Oxford University Press ?ISBN

     Chinosole, who stopped straightening her hair and cut it into a natural while at a predominantly white college, was quite uneasy with the style

   • 2012, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Chicken Soup for the African American Soul: Celebrating and Sharing Our Culture One Story at a Time, Simon and Schuster ?ISBN

     I wanted to do it for so long — throw out my chemically relaxed hair for a natural.

   • 2015, Carmen M. Cusack, HAIR AND JUSTICE: Sociolegal Significance of Hair in Criminal Justice, Constitutional Law, and Public Policy, Charles C Thomas Publisher ?ISBN, page 155

     Third, it insinuates that black afro hairstyles (e.g., naturals) relate to African cultural heritage, which is largely untrue.

9. (algebra) Closed under submodules, direct sums, and injective hulls.

Translations

Adverb

natural (comparative more natural, superlative most natural)

1. (colloquial, dialect) Naturally; in a natural manner.

See also

• Appendix:Colors

References

• natural in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• natural in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin naturalis, attested from the 14th century.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /n?.tu??al/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /na.tu??al/

Adjective

natural (masculine and feminine plural naturals)

1. natural

Derived terms

• gas natural
• naturalesa
• naturalisme
• naturalitzar
• naturalment
• nombre natural
• selecció natural

Related terms

• naturalitat

Noun

natural m or f (plural naturals)

1. native, natural (person who is native to a place)

   Synonym: nadiu

Noun

natural m (plural naturals)

1. nature (innate characteristics of a person)

Related terms

• natura

References

Further reading

• “natural” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “natural” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “natural” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Galician

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin naturalis.

Pronunciation

Adjective

natural m or f (plural naturais)

1. natural

Derived terms

• naturalmente

Noun

natural m or f (plural naturais)

1. native, natural

Synonyms

• nativo

Noun 2

natural m (plural naturais)

1. nature (innate characteristics of a person)

Related terms

• natureza

Further reading

• “natural” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.

Middle English

Alternative forms

• naturel, naturalle, naturelle, naturell, naturall, naturill

Etymology

From Old French natural, from Latin n?t?r?lis; equivalent to nature +? -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /na??tiu?ral/, /na??tiu?r?l/, /na?tiu?ral/, /na?tiu?r?l/

Adjective

natural

1. intrinsic, fundamental, basic; relating to natural law.
2. natural (preexisting; present or due to nature):
   1. usual, regular (i.e. as found in nature)
   2. well; in good heath or condition.
   3. inherited; due to one's lineage.
   4. inborn; due to one's natural reasoning (rather than a deity's intervention)
3. Nourishing; healthful or beneficial to one's body.
4. Misbegotten; conceived outside of marriage
5. Correct, right, fitting.
6. Diligent in performing one's societal obligations.
7. (rare) Endemic, indigenous.
8. (rare) Bodily; relating to one's human form.

Related terms

• supernatural

Descendants

• English: natural
• Scots: naitural

References

• “n?t?r?l, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-06-14.

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin n?t?r?lis.

Adjective

natural m (oblique and nominative feminine singular naturale)

1. natural

Related terms

• nature
• naistre

Descendants

• ? Middle English: natural
  • English: natural
  • Scots: naitural
• French: naturel
  • ? Breton: naturel

Piedmontese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /naty?ral/
• Rhymes: -al

Adjective

natural

1. natural

Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Portuguese natural, borrowed from Latin n?t?r?lis.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /n?.tu.??a?/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /na.tu.??aw/, [n??.t??.??ä??]
• Hyphenation: na?tu?ral

Adjective

natural m or f (plural naturais, comparable)

1. natural
2. native of, from

   Synonyms: originário, oriundo

3. room-temperature (of liquids)

Antonyms

• (room-temperature): fresco

Related terms

• natura
• naturalidade
• naturalismo
• naturalístico
• naturalizar
• naturalmente
• natureza
• naturismo

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin n?t?r?lis, French naturel, Italian naturale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /na.tu?ral/

Adjective

natural m or n (feminine singular natural?, masculine plural naturali, feminine and neuter plural naturale)

1. natural

Further reading

• natural in DEX online - Dic?ionare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin n?t?r?lis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /natu??al/, [na.t?u??al]
• Rhymes: -al
• Hyphenation: na?tu?ral

Adjective

natural (plural naturales)

1. natural (of or relating to nature)
2. natural, plain (without artificial additives)

3. natural (as expected; reasonable)

   Synonym: normal

4. (of a day) being a calendar day
5. (music) natural (neither sharp nor flat)
6. (of a child) illegitimate (born to unmarried parents)

   Synonym: ilegítimo

   Antonym: legítimo

7. (of a drink) room-temperature (neither heated nor chilled)

Derived terms

Related terms

• natura (“nature”)
• naturaleza (“nature”)
• naturalidad (“naturalness”)

Further reading

• “natural” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish natural (“natural”).

Adjective

naturál

1. natural

English

Etymology

From Latin concr?tus, past participle of concresc? (com- + cresc?).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?k?nk?i?t/, /k?n?k?i?t/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?k?n?k?i?t/, /?k?nk?i?t/
• Rhymes: -i?t

Adjective

concrete (comparative more concrete, superlative most concrete)

1. Real, actual, tangible.

   Fuzzy videotapes and distorted sound recordings are not concrete evidence that bigfoot exists.

   Once arrested, I realized that handcuffs are concrete, even if my concept of what is legal wasn’t.
2. Being or applying to actual things, not abstract qualities or categories.

   • The names of individuals are concrete, those of classes abstract.

   • 1725, Isaac Watts, Logick, or The Right Use of Reason in the Enquiry After Truth With a Variety of Rules to Guard

     Concrete terms, while they express the quality, do also express, or imply, or refer to, some subject to which it belongs.

3. Particular, specific, rather than general.

   While everyone else offered thoughts and prayers, she made a concrete proposal to help.

   concrete ideas

4. United by coalescence of separate particles, or liquid, into one mass or solid.
   • 1684, Thomas Burnet, Sacred Theory of the Earth

     The first concrete state, or consistent surface, of the chaos must be of the same figure as the last liquid state.

5. (modifying a noun, not comparable) Made of concrete, a building material.

   The office building had concrete flower boxes out front.

Synonyms

• (perceivable): tangible
• (not abstract): tangible
• (particular, specific): See also Thesaurus:specific

Antonyms

• (perceivable): intangible
• (not abstract): intangible, abstract
• (particular, specific): See also Thesaurus:generic
• (united): discrete

Translations

Noun

concrete (countable and uncountable, plural concretes)

1. (obsolete) A solid mass formed by the coalescence of separate particles; a compound substance, a concretion.
   • 1661, Robert Boyle, The Sceptical Chymist, page 26:

     "...upon the suppos’d Analysis made by the fire, of the former sort of Concretes, there are wont to emerge Bodies resembling those which they take for the Elements...

   • 1665, Robert Hooke, Micrographia:

     [T]he tincture of Cocheneel is nothing but some finer dissoluble parts of that Concrete lick'd up or dissolv'd by the fluid water.

2. Specifically, a building material created by mixing cement, water, and aggregate such as gravel and sand.

   The road was made of concrete that had been poured in large slabs.

3. (logic) A term designating both a quality and the subject in which it exists; a concrete term.
   • 1843, John Stuart Mill, A System of Logic

     The concretes "father" and "son" have, or might have, the abstracts "paternity" and "filiety".

4. Sugar boiled down from cane juice to a solid mass.
5. (US) A dessert of frozen custard with various toppings.
   • 2010, June Naylor, Judy Wiley, Insiders' Guide to Dallas and Fort Worth, page 54:

     Besides cones, Curley's serves sundaes, and concretes—custard with all sorts of yummy goodness blended in, like pecans, caramel, almonds, […]

   • 1990, John Lutz, Diamond Eyes, page 170:

     When Nudger and Claudia were finished eating they drove to the Ted Drewes frozen custard stand on Chippewa and stood in line for a couple of chocolate chip concretes.

7. (chemistry) An extract of herbal materials that has a semi-solid consistency, especially when such materials are partly aromatic.

Translations

See also

• cement
• mortar
• UHPC

Verb

concrete (third-person singular simple present concretes, present participle concreting, simple past and past participle concreted)

1. (usually transitive) To cover with or encase in concrete (building material).
   • 2005, The Contractor's Guide to Quality Concrete Construction (?ISBN), page 95:

     CHAPTER 9: PREPARING FOR CONCRETING

   • 2008, David Squire et al, The First-Time Garden Specialist (?ISBN), page 12:

     Harmonizing the garden's style with the house is important, especially when considering the front garden. Too often, when moving into a new property, the car takes priority and concreting the area appears to be an imperative[.]

   • 2012, Formwork for Concrete Structures (?ISBN), page 417:

     The materials used for concreting should be stored properly[.]

2. (usually transitive) To solidify: to change from being abstract to being concrete (actual, real).
3. (intransitive, obsolete) To unite or coalesce into a mass or a solid body.
   • 1730, John Arbuthnot, An Essay Concerning the Nature of Aliments

     The blood of some who died of the plague could not be made to concrete.

   • 1845, The London Lancet:

     At three years her mother observed something come from her as she walked across the room, which, when examined, was found to be fat in a liquid state, which concreted when cold.

Usage notes

Etymologically, the antonym of concrete (verb) is secrete, but the two words have so far gone their different ways that this is scarcely noticed today.

Translations

Derived terms

Anagrams

• cocenter

Dutch

Pronunciation

Adjective

concrete

1. Inflected form of concreet

Anagrams

• concreet

Italian

Adjective

concrete

1. feminine plural of concreto

Latin

Participle

concr?te

1. vocative masculine singular of concr?tus

Spanish

Verb

concrete

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of concretar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of concretar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of concretar.