natural history

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nat·u·ral his·to·ry • n. 1. the scientific study of animals or plants, esp. as concerned with observation rather than experiment, and presented in popular rather than academic form. ∎  the study of the whole natural world, including mineralogy and paleontology.2. Med. the usual course of development of a disease or condition, esp. in the absence of treatment: the natural history of cancerous tumors.DERIVATIVES: nat·u·ral his·to·ri·an n.

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