second nature

noun

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

Origin:
1655–65

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

second nature

—n
	a habit, characteristic, etc, not innate but so long practised or acquired as to seem so

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10

Second nature is always a great word to know.

So is callithumpian. Does it mean:

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

second nature

late 14c., from L. secundum naturam "according to nature" (Augustine, Macrobius, etc.), lit. "following nature;" from medieval Aristotelian philosophy, contrasted to phenomena that were super naturam ("above nature," such as God's grace), extra naturam ("outside nature"), supra naturam ("beyond nature,"

such as miracles), contra naturam "against nature," etc.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

second nature

A habit or mode of behavior so long practiced that it seems innate, as in Driving in heavy traffic is second nature to Chris. This expression is a shortened form of an ancient proverb, Custom (or usage) is a second nature, first recorded in 1390. It alludes to the fact that very frequently repeating something makes it seem completely natural or inborn.

Example sentences

Being on the tube is second nature for him-this big lug couldn't be more

tubular.

The scientific jargon for any given field is certainly second nature those

involved, but not for viewers outside the area.

Over time, this change in lifestyle becomes second nature.

When you get used to losing, it becomes second nature.

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Matching Quote

"When we walk the streets at night in safety, it does not strike us that this might be otherwise. This habit of feeling safe has become second nature, and we do not reflect on just how this is due solely to the working of special institutions. Commonplace thinking often has the impression that force holds the state together, but in fact its only bond is the fundamental sense of order which everybody possesses."

-Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel