1. In Philosophy and Ontology:
* A thing that exists independently of human perception and conceptualization. This is often contrasted with "artificial entities" which are created by humans. For example, a mountain is a natural entity, while a car is an artificial entity.
* A fundamental building block of reality. This can encompass concepts like atoms, molecules, organisms, ecosystems, planets, and galaxies. In this sense, natural entities are not simply objects but also systems and processes.
2. In Computer Science, especially Natural Language Processing (NLP):
* A real-world object, concept, or person that is represented in text. This can include things like people's names, locations, organizations, dates, and quantities. Identifying and extracting these entities is a key task in NLP, allowing computers to understand the meaning of text better. For example, in the sentence "John Smith went to New York City on January 1st," the natural entities are "John Smith," "New York City," and "January 1st."
3. In Environmental Science and Conservation:
* A living organism or part of an ecosystem that is not artificially created. This might include animals, plants, habitats, and natural resources like water and soil.
4. In General Usage:
* Anything found in nature, as opposed to something man-made. This broad definition could encompass anything from a rock to a river to a forest.
Ultimately, the meaning of "natural entity" depends on the specific context in which it is used. It's important to consider the specific field or discipline in which the term is being used to understand its precise meaning.