Lexical Definition

‎φύσις‎ phýsis (foo'-sis) nature ^G:N-F
from ‎φύω‎

(man-)kind, nature(-al).

• growth (by germination or expansion), i.e. (by implication) natural production (lineal descent)
• by extension, a genus or sort
• figuratively, native disposition, constitution or usage

Abbott-Smith

** φύσις, -εως, ἡ (< φύω) [in LXX: Wi 7:20 13:1 19:20 אΑ, III Mac 3:29, IV Mac 1:20 5:7, 8, 25 13:27 15:13, 25 16:3 * ;]
nature, i.e.,
(a) the nature (natural powers or constitution) of a person or thing: Ja 3:7, II Pe 1:4;
τέκνα φυσει ὀργῆς, Eph 2:3;
(b) origin, birth (Soph., Xen., al.): Ro 2:27, Ga 2:15;
(c) nature, i.e. the regular order or law of nature: I Co 11:14; dat., φύσει adverbially, by nature, Ro 2:14, Ga 4:8; παρὰ φύσιν, against nature, Ro 1:26 11:24; καρὰ φ., according to nature, naturally, Ro 11:21, 24.†

Abbott-Smith References

Liddell-Scott-Jones

φύσις [ῠ], ἡ,

genitive φύσεως, poetry φύσεος probably (for the sake of meter) in [Refs 5th c.BC+] (variant{φύση}) [Refs 5th c.BC+], (φύω):

__I origin, φ. οὐδενός ἐστιν ἁπάντων θνητῶν οὐδὲ.. τελευτή [Refs 5th c.BC+]; frequently of persons, birth, φύσει νεώτερος [Refs 5th c.BC+]; φύσει, opposed to θέσει (by adoption), [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; so ὁ κατὰ φύσιν πατήρ, υἱός, ἀδελφός, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; also in accusative, ἐκ πατρὸς ταὐτοῦ φύσιν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἢ φίλων τις ἢ πρὸς αἵματος φύσιν[Refs 5th c.BC+]
__I.2 growth, τριχῶν, παιδίου, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II the natural form or constitution of a person or thing as the result of growth (οἷον ἕκαστόν ἐστι τῆς γενέσεως τελεσθείσης, ταύτην φαμὲν τὴν φ. εἶναι ἑκάστου [Refs 4th c.BC+]
__II.1 nature, constitution, once in [Refs 8th c.BC+]; αἵματος, ἀέρος, etc., [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II.2 outward form, appearance, μέζονας ἢ κατ᾽ ἀνθρώπων φύσιν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἢ νόον ἤτοι φύσιν either in mind or outward form, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; δρακαίνης φ. ἔχουσαν ἀγρίαν probably in [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II.3 in Medicine texts, constitution, temperament, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II.3.b natural place or position of a bone or joint, ἀποπηδᾶν ἀπὸ τῆς φ., ἐς τὴν φ. ἄγεσθαι, [Refs]
__II.4 of the mind, one's nature, character, ἦθος ἕκαστον, ὅπῃ φ. ἐστὶν ἑκάστῳ [Refs 5th c.BC+]; φ. φρενός [Refs 5th c.BC+]; φ. φιλόσοφος, τυραννική, etc., [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Σόλων.. ἦν φιλόδημος τὴν φ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; φύσεως ἰσχύς force of natural powers, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; φύσεως κακία badness of natural disposition, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; χρῶ τῇ φύσει, i.e. give rein to your natural propensities, [NT+5th c.BC+]
__II.4.b instinct in animals, etc., [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
__II.5 frequently in periphrases, καὶ γὰρ ἂν πέτρου φύσιν σύ γ᾽ ὀργάνειας, i.e. would'st provoke a stone, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἡ φ. τῆς ἀσθενείας its natural weakness, [Refs]; ἡ φ., with genitive understood, [Refs]
__III the regular order of nature, τύχη.. ἀβέβαιος, φ. δὲ αὐτάρκης [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τρίχες κατὰ φύσιν πεφυκυῖαι growing naturally, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; opposed to παρὰ φύσιν, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; προδότης ἐκ φύσεως a traitor by nature, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; πρὸ τῆς φ. ἥκειν εἰς θάνατον before the natural term, [Refs 5th c.BC+] by nature, naturally, opposed to τύχῃ, τέχνῃ, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὁ μὴ αὑτοῦ φ. ἀλλ᾽ ἄλλου ἄνθρωπος ὤν, οὗτος φ. δοῦλός ἐστιν[Refs 4th c.BC+]; opposed to νόμῳ (by convention), [Refs 5th c.BC+]; φύσιν ἔχει with infinitive, it is natural, κῶς φύσιν ἔχει πολλὰς μυριάδας φονεῦσαι (i.e. τὸν Ἡρακλέα); [Refs 5th c.BC+]; οὐκ ἔχει φύσιν it is contrary to nature,[Refs 4th c.BC+]
__IV in Philosophy:
__IV.1 nature as an originating power, φ. λέγεται.. ὅθεν ἡ κίνησις ἡ πρώτη ἐν ἑκάστῳ τῶν φύσει ὄντων [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ἡ δὲ φ. οὐδὲν ἀλόγως οὐδὲ μάτην ποιεῖ[Refs 1st c.AD+]; φ. κοινή, the principle of growth in the universe, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; as Stoic technical term, the inner fire which causes preservation and growth in plants and animals, defined as πῦρ τεχνικὸν ὁδῷ βαδίζον εἰς γένεσιν, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; Nature, personified, χάρις τῇ μακαρίᾳ Φ. [Refs 4th c.BC+]
__IV.2 elementary substance, κινδυνεύει ὁ λέγων ταῦτα πῦρ καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ γῆν καὶ ἀέρα πρῶτα ἡγεῖσθαι τῶν πάντων εἶναι καὶ τὴν φ. ὀνομάζειν αὐτὰ ταῦτα [Refs 5th c.BC+]atoms, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
__IV.3 concrete, the creation, 'Nature', ἀθανάτου.. φύσεως κόσμον ἀγήρων [Refs 5th c.BC+]; περὶ φύσεως, title of works by Xenophanes, Heraclitus, Gorgias, Epicurus, etc.; [σοφία] ἣν δὴ καλοῦσι περὶ φύσεως ἱστορίαν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; αἱ δύο φ., i.e. heaven and earth, light and darkness, etc., [Refs]
__IV.4 [Refs 4th c.BC+] name for two, [Refs]
__V as a concrete term, creature, frequently in collective sense, θνητὴ φ. mankind, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; πόντου εἰναλία φ. the creatures of the sea, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἡ τῶν θηλειῶν φ. woman-kind (opposed to τὸ ἄρρεν φῦλον) [Refs 5th c.BC+]: also in plural, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; in contemptuous sense, αἱ τοιαῦται φ. such creatures as these, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__V.b of plants or material substances, φ. εὐώδεις καρποφοροῦσαι [Refs 1st c.BC+]
__VI kind, sort, species, ταύτην.. ἔχειν βιοτῆς.. φύσιν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; φ. [ἀλωπεκίδων] species, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; natural group or class of plants, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
__VII sex, θῆλυς φῦσα (probably to be read instead of οὖσα) κοὐκ ἀνδρὸς φύσιν [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__VII.2 the characteristic of sex, ={αἰδοῖον}, [Refs 4th c.BC+]: especially of the female organ, [Refs 5th c.BC+] of the testes, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

_{LSJ Scripture Refs: 2Pet.1.4}