"student of plants and animals," c. 1600, from French naturaliste, from natural (see natural (adj.)). Earlier "one who studies natural, rather than spiritual, things" (1580s). A Middle English word for "natural philosopher or scientist" was naturien (late 14c.).

[The naturalist on expedition, pursued by a Nile crocodile, has climbed a palm tree for safety.]

Suddenly he experienced a new shudder of terror, as he remembered an article which he had inserted in the Belfast Review, and in which he had himself declared that crocodiles climb trees like cats. He would gladly have thrown this article into the fire, but it was too late, all Belfast had read it, it had been translated into Arabic and no Oriental author had yet refuted it, not even at Crocodilopolis. [Graham's Magazine, November 1855]

"participant in the movement for communal nudity," 1929, from nature + -ist. Earlier in other senses, including "naturalist" and "a physician who trusts entirely to nature for a cure" (1851). Related: Naturistic; naturism.

1864, "body of biological doctrine proposed by Charles Darwin," especially "the theory of species evolution by natural selection," from the name of English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882). His major works were "The Origin of Species" (1859) and "The Descent of Man" (1871), + -ism.

"segmented worm," 1834, from French annélide, source of the phylum name Annelida, coined 1801 in Modern Latin by French naturalist J.B.P. Lamarck, from annelés "ringed ones" (from Latin anulus "little ring," a diminutive of anus "ring;" see anus) + Greek eidos "form, shape" (see -oid).

1827, "macaque, sacred monkey of India," from the Modern Latin genus name of a type of East Indian monkey (1799), given by French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Audebert (1759-1800) and said to be an arbitrary use of Latin Rhesus, the name of a legendary prince or king of Thrace, from Greek Rhēsos, which is also a river name.