second nature | Etymology of phrase second nature by etymonline (2024)

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Second nature | Etymology of phrase second nature by etymonline? ›

second nature (n.) late 14c., from Latin secundum naturam "according to nature" (Augustine, Macrobius, etc.), literally "following nature" (see second (adj.)).

noun. Britannica Dictionary definition of SECOND NATURE. [noncount] : something you can do easily or without much thought because you have done it many times before. After a while, using the gearshift becomes second nature.

second nature (adjective as in deeply ingrained) Strong matches. deep-rooted ingrained instinctive instinctual natural visceral.

an acquired habit or tendency in one's character that is so deeply ingrained as to appear automatic: Neatness is second nature to him.

: an acquired deeply ingrained habit or skill. after a while, using the gearshift becomes second nature.

The basic idea expressed by the concept of second nature is that it is the nature of human beings to be rational. According to this line of thought, rationality must not be conceived of as something wholly distinct from nature, but rather as something that has a place within nature.

Here first nature refers to the natural historical and evolutionary origin of the current version of the human species, hom*o sapiens sapiens, and second nature to the characteristically human sociocultural world.

He is trivial at all times; triviality is second nature to him. His generous kindness, in things great and small, seemed second nature.

How do things become Second Nature? ›

A habit is a routine of behaviour that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously. A habit, from a psychological standpoint is a more or less fixed way of thinking, willing, or feeling acquired through previous repetition of a mental experience.

Don't worry if it takes a bit longer than you'd like for your habit to become second nature. A 2021 study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology found that people need an average of 59 days to successfully form a new habit in nutrition.

Whereas Second Nature is more psychology-based and focuses on developing a healthier relationship with food so you can manage your intake sustainably over the long term. Second Nature also focuses more on all aspects of health, including nutrition, sleep, exercise, and stress.

phrase. If a way of behaving is second nature to you, you do it almost without thinking because it is easy for you or obvious to you. Planning ahead had always come as second nature to her. It's not easy at first, but it soon becomes second nature. See full dictionary entry for nature.

Anything that's secondhand has been used before. Your secondhand boots may look brand new, but they were owned by someone else before you bought them. Things that aren't new are secondhand, so you might buy a secondhand car from your grandma or shop at a secondhand clothing store to get good deals.

Habit has rightly been called a second nature: nature, because it is an immediate being of the soul, a second nature, because it is an immediacy posited by the soul, incorpo- rating and moulding the bodiliness that pertains to the determinations of feeling as such and to the determinacies of represen- tation and of the ...

A habit is a routine of behaviour that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously. A habit, from a psychological standpoint is a more or less fixed way of thinking, willing, or feeling acquired through previous repetition of a mental experience.