lusus naturae
/ˈluːsəs nəˈtjʊəɹiː/
lusus naturae noun: a sportive quality in Nature to which abnormal forms were formerly ascribed; a supposed capricious act of Nature regarded as the cause and origin of anomalies in a given organism.
Noun
lusus naturae (plural lusus naturae or (rare) lusûs naturae)
- A sportive quality in Nature to which abnormal forms were formerly ascribed; a supposed capricious act of Nature regarded as the cause and origin of anomalies in a given organism.
- […]I have obſerv'd ſome meſhes to have 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9. ſides, and ſome to have onely one, ſo exceeding various is the Luſus Naturæ in this body.1665, R[obert] Hooke, “Obſerv. XXII. Of common Sponges, and ſeveral other Spongiefibrous bodies.”, in Micrographia: Or Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies Made by Magnifying Glasses....
- After much Debate, they concluded unanimously, that I was only Relplum Scalcath, which is interpreted literally, Luſus Naturæ; a Determination exactly agreeable to the modern Philoſophy of Europe, whose Profeſſors, diſdaining the old Evaſion of occult Cauſes, whereby the Followers of Ariſtotle...1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “The Author Sent for to Court. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […]...
- Synonyms:
- God's joke
- An organism exhibiting marked such deviation from the norm, seeming to be the result of sportive design; a freak of nature.
- All men, the monster and the lusus naturæ excepted, have a certain form, a certain complement of limbs, a certain internal structure, and organs of sense—may we not add further, certain powers of intellect?1831, William Godwin, Thoughts on Man […] , London: Effingham Wilson, pages 24–25
- I was a lusus naturæ, she affirmed, as a village-schoolmistress: she was sure my previous history, if known, would make a delightful romance.1847 October 16, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], chapter XXXII, in Jane Eyre. […], volume III, London: Smith, Elder, and Co., […], →OCLC, page 139
- Synonyms:
- freak of nature, lusus
lusus naturae meaning in Tamil
lusus naturae in Tamil
- இயல்பிழுக்கம், பெரிதும்இயல் முரணிய இயற்கைப் படைப்பு, இயல்திரி விலங்குரு, இயல்திரி செடிவடிவம், இயற்கையின் திருவிளையாடல்
Synonyms of lusus naturae
- God's joke
- freak of nature
- lusus
Forms of lusus naturae
| plural | lusus naturae |
|---|---|
| plural (rare) | lusûs naturae |
| alternative form (archaic) | lusus naturæ |
Origin of lusus naturae
Learned borrowing from Latin lūsus nātūrae (literally “sport of Nature”), from lūsus (“playing, sport”) + nātūrae (“of Nature”), genitive singular of nātūra (“Nature”). Originally used to explain fossils (pre-paleontology) or abnormalities such as two-headed snakes.
Questions about lusus naturae
- What does lusus naturae mean?
- Lusus naturae means a sportive quality in Nature to which abnormal forms were formerly ascribed; a supposed capricious act of Nature regarded as the cause and origin of anomalies in a given organism.
- What is lusus naturae in Tamil?
- Lusus naturae in Tamil is இயல்பிழுக்கம், பெரிதும்இயல் முரணிய இயற்கைப் படைப்பு, இயல்திரி விலங்குரு. See Lusus naturae meaning in Tamil.
- What part of speech is lusus naturae?
- Lusus naturae is a noun.
- How do you pronounce lusus naturae?
- Lusus naturae is pronounced /ˈluːsəs nəˈtjʊəɹiː/ (UK).
- What is the plural of lusus naturae?
- The plural of lusus naturae is lusus naturae.
Words near lusus naturae in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: lusus naturae (page history and authors); lusus naturae (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-lusus naturae.wav.
Cite this entry: “lusus naturae.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/lusus_naturae. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.