The word nature is derived from the Latin word natura, or essential qualities, innate disposition, and in ancient times, literally meant irth. Natura is a Latin translation of the Greek word physis , which originally related to the intrinsic characteristics that plants, animals, and other features of the world develop of their own accord. The concept of nature as a whole, the physical universe, is one of several expansions of the original notion; it began with certain core applications of the word φύσις by pre-Socratic philosophers, and has steadily gained currency ever since. This usage continued during the advent of modern scientific method in the last several centuries. (source : wikipedia)