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Webster 1913 Edition

Wild

Wild

,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Wilder
;
sup
erl.
Wildest
.]
[OE.
wilde
, AS.
wilde
; akin to OFries.
wilde
, D.
wild
, OS. & OHG.
wildi
, G.
wild
, Sw. & Dan.
vild
, Icel.
villr
wild, bewildered, astray, Goth.
wilpeis
wild, and G. & OHG.
wild
game, deer; of uncertain origin.]
1.
Living in a state of nature; inhabiting natural haunts, as the forest or open field; not familiar with, or not easily approached by, man; not tamed or domesticated;
as, a
wild
boar; a
wild
ox; a
wild
cat
.
Winter’s not gone yet, if the
wild
geese fly that way.
Shakespeare
2.
Growing or produced without culture; growing or prepared without the aid and care of man; native; not cultivated; brought forth by unassisted nature or by animals not domesticated;
as,
wild
parsnip,
wild
camomile,
wild
strawberry,
wild
honey
.
The woods and desert caves,
With
wild
thyme and gadding vine o'ergrown.
Milton.
3.
Desert; not inhabited or cultivated;
as,
wild
land
.
“To trace the forests wild.”
Shak.
4.
Savage; uncivilized; not refined by culture; ferocious; rude;
as,
wild
natives of Africa or America
.
5.
Not submitted to restraint, training, or regulation; turbulent; tempestuous; violent; ungoverned; licentious; inordinate; disorderly; irregular; fanciful; imaginary; visionary; crazy.
“Valor grown wild by pride.”
Prior.
“A wild, speculative project.”
Swift.
What are these
So withered and so
wild
in their attire ?
Shakespeare
With mountains, as with weapons, armed; which makes
Wild
work in heaven.
Milton.
The
wild
winds howl.
Addison.
Search then the ruling passion, there, alone
The
wild
are constant, and the cunning known.
Pope.
6.
Exposed to the wind and sea; unsheltered;
as, a
wild
roadstead
.
7.
Indicating strong emotion, intense excitement, or [GREEK]ewilderment;
as, a
wild
look
.
8.
(Naut.)
Hard to steer; – said of a vessel.
☞ Many plants are named by prefixing
wild
to the names of other better known or cultivated plants to which they a bear a real or fancied resemblance; as,
wild
allspice,
wild
pink, etc. See the Phrases below.
To run wild
,
to go unrestrained or untamed; to live or untamed; to live or grow without culture or training.
–
To sow one's wild oats
.
See under
Oat
.
Wild allspice
.
(Bot.)
,
spicewood.
–
Wild balsam apple
(Bot.)
,
an American climbing cucurbitaceous plant (
Echinocystis lobata
).
–
Wild basil
(Bot.)
,
a fragrant labiate herb (
Calamintha Clinopodium
) common in Europe and America.
–
Wild bean
(Bot.)
,
a name of several leguminous plants, mostly species of
Phaseolus
and
Apios
.
–
Wild bee
(Zool.)
,
any one of numerous species of undomesticated social bees, especially the domestic bee when it has escaped from domestication and built its nest in a hollow tree or among rocks.
–
Wild bergamot
.
(Bot.)
See under
Bergamot
.
–
Wild boar
(Zool.)
,
the European wild hog (
Sus scrofa
), from which the common domesticated swine is descended.
–
Wild brier
(Bot.)
,
any uncultivated species of brier. See
Brier
.
–
Wild bugloss
(Bot.)
,
an annual rough-leaved plant (
Lycopsis arvensis
) with small blue flowers.
–
Wild camomile
(Bot.)
,
one or more plants of the composite genus
Matricaria
, much resembling camomile.
–
Wild cat
.
(Zool.)
(a)
A European carnivore (
Felis catus
) somewhat resembling the domestic cat, but larger stronger, and having a short tail. It is destructive to the smaller domestic animals, such as lambs, kids, poultry, and the like.
(b)
The common American lynx, or bay lynx.
(c)
(Naut.)
A wheel which can be adjusted so as to revolve either with, or on, the shaft of a capstan.
Luce.
–
Wild celery
.
(Bot.)
See
Tape grass
, under
Tape
.
–
Wild cherry
.
(Bot.)
(a)
Any uncultivated tree which bears cherries. The wild red cherry is
Prunus Pennsylvanica
. The wild black cherry is
Prunus serotina
, the wood of which is much used for cabinetwork, being of a light red color and a compact texture.
(b)
The fruit of various species of
Prunus
.
–
Wild cinnamon
.
See the Note under
Canella
.
–
Wild comfrey
(Bot.)
,
an American plant (
Cynoglossum Virginicum
) of the Borage family. It has large bristly leaves and small blue flowers.
–
Wild cumin
(Bot.)
,
an annual umbelliferous plant (
Lagœcia cuminoides
) native in the countries about the Mediterranean.
–
Wild drake
(Zool.)
the mallard.
–
Wild elder
(Bot.)
,
an American plant (
Aralia hispida
) of the Ginseng family.
–
Wild fowl
(Zool.)
any wild bird, especially any of those considered as game birds.
–
Wild goose
(Zool.)
,
any one of several species of undomesticated geese, especially the Canada goose (
Branta Canadensis
), the European bean goose, and the graylag. See
Graylag
, and
Bean goose
, under
Bean
.
–
Wild goose chase
,
the pursuit of something unattainable, or of something as unlikely to be caught as the wild goose.
Shak.
–
Wild honey
,
honey made by wild bees, and deposited in trees, rocks, the like.
–
Wild hyacinth
.
(Bot.)
See
Hyacinth
, 1
(b)
.
–
Wild Irishman
(Bot.)
,
a thorny bush (
Discaria Toumatou
) of the Buckthorn family, found in New Zealand, where the natives use the spines in tattooing.
–
Wild land
.
(a)
Land not cultivated, or in a state that renders it unfit for cultivation.
(b)
Land which is not settled and cultivated.
–
Wild licorice
.
(Bot.)
See under
Licorice
.
–
Wild mammee
(Bot.)
,
the oblong, yellowish, acid fruit of a tropical American tree (
Rheedia lateriflora
); – so called in the West Indies.
–
Wild marjoram
(Bot.)
,
a labiate plant (
Origanum vulgare
) much like the sweet marjoram, but less aromatic.
–
Wild oat
.
(Bot.)
(a)
A tall, oatlike kind of soft grass (
Arrhenatherum avenaceum
).
(b)
See
Wild oats
, under
Oat
.
–
Wild pieplant
(Bot.)
,
a species of dock (
Rumex hymenosepalus
) found from Texas to California. Its acid, juicy stems are used as a substitute for the garden rhubarb.
–
Wild pigeon
.
(Zool.)
(a)
The rock dove.
(b)
The passenger pigeon.
–
Wild pink
(Bot.)
,
an American plant (
Silene Pennsylvanica
) with pale, pinkish flowers; a kind of catchfly.
–
Wild plantain
(Bot.)
,
an arborescent endogenous herb (
Heliconia Bihai
), much resembling the banana. Its leaves and leaf sheaths are much used in the West Indies as coverings for packages of merchandise.
–
Wild plum
.
(Bot.)
(a)
Any kind of plum growing without cultivation.
(b)
The South African prune. See under
Prune
.
–
Wild rice
.
(Bot.)
See
Indian rice
, under
Rice
.
–
Wild rosemary
(Bot.)
,
the evergreen shrub
Andromeda polifolia
. See
Marsh rosemary
, under
Rosemary
.
–
Wild sage
.
(Bot.)
See
Sagebrush
.
–
Wild sarsaparilla
(Bot.)
,
a species of ginseng (
Aralia nudicaulis
) bearing a single long-stalked leaf.
–
Wild sensitive plant
(Bot.)
,
either one of two annual leguminous herbs (
Cassia Chamaecrista
, and
Cassia nictitans
), in both of which the leaflets close quickly when the plant is disturbed.
–
Wild service
.
(Bot.)
See
Sorb
.
–
Wild Spaniard
(Bot.)
,
any one of several umbelliferous plants of the genus
Aciphylla
, natives of New Zealand. The leaves bear numerous bayonetlike spines, and the plants form an impenetrable thicket.
–
Wild turkey
.
(Zool.)
See 2d
Turkey
.

Wild

,
Noun.
An uninhabited and uncultivated tract or region; a forest or desert; a wilderness; a waste;
as, the
wilds
of America; the
wilds
of Africa
.
then Libya first, of all her moisture drained,
Became a barren waste, a
wild
of sand.
Addison.

Wild

,
adv.
Wildly;
as, to talk
wild
.
Shak.

Webster 1828 Edition

Wild

WILD

,
Adj.
[G.]
1.
Roving; wandering; inhabiting the forest or open field; hence, not tamed or domesticated; as a wild boar; a wild ox; a wild cat; a wild bee.
2.
Growing without culture; as wild parsnep; wild cherry; wild tansy. Wild rice, a palatable and nutritious food, grows spontaneously in the lakes and ponds of the North West territory.
3.
Desert; not inhabited; as a wild forest.
4.
Savage; uncivilized; not refined by culture; as the wild natives of Africa or America.
5.
Turbulent; tempestuous; irregular; as a wild tumult.
The wild winds howl.
6.
Licentious; ungoverned; as wild passions.
Valor grown wild by pride--
7.
Inconstant; mutable; fickle.
In the ruling passion, there also the wild are constant, and the cunning known.
8.
Inordinate; loose.
A fop well dressd, extravagant and wild.
9.
Uncouth; loose.
--What are these, so witherd, and so wild in their attire?
10.
Irregular; disorderly; done without plan or order; as, to make wild work.
11.
Not well digested; not framed according to the ordinary rules of reason; not being within the limits of probable practicability; imaginary; fanciful; as a wild project or scheme; wild speculations.
12.
Exposed to the wind and sea; as a wild roadstead.
13.
Made or found in the forest; as wild honey.
Wild is prefixed to the names of many plants, to distinguish them from such of the name as are cultivated in gardens, as wild basil, wild parsnep, wild carrot, wild olive, &.

WILD

,
Noun.
A desert; an uninhabited and uncultivated tract or region; a forest or sandy desert; as the wilds of America; the wilds of Africa; the sandy wilds of Arabia.
Then Libya first, of all her moisture draind, became a barren waste, a wild of sand.

Definition 2024

Wild

Wild

See also: wild

English

Proper noun

Wild

  1. A surname​ originally referring to a wild person, or for someone living in uncultivated land.

German

Pronunciation

Noun

Wild n ‎(genitive Wilds or Wildes, no plural)

  1. (animals, hunting) game

Derived terms

wild

wild

See also: Wild

English

Adjective

wild ‎(comparative wilder, superlative wildest)

  1. Untamed; not domesticated.
    • Shakespeare
      Winter's not gone yet, if the wild geese fly that way.
    • Milton
      The woods and desert caves, / With wild thyme and gadding vine o'ergrown.
    • 2013 May-June, David Van Tassel, Lee DeHaan, “Wild Plants to the Rescue”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:
      Plant breeding is always a numbers game. […] The wild species we use are rich in genetic variation, and individual plants are highly heterozygous and do not breed true. In addition, we are looking for rare alleles, so the more plants we try, the better.
    The island of Chincoteague is famous for its wild horses.‎
  2. Unrestrained or uninhibited.
    I was filled with wild rage when I discovered the infidelity, and punched a hole in the wall.‎
  3. Raucous, unruly, or licentious.
    The fraternity was infamous for its wild parties, which frequently resulted in police involvement.‎
  4. Visibly and overtly anxious; frantic.
    • 2011 August 7, Chris Bevan, “Man City 2-3 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport:
      City, in contrast, were lethargic in every area of the pitch and their main contribution in the first half-hour was to keep referee Phil Dowd busy, with Micah Richards among four of their players booked early on, in his case for a wild lunge on Young.
    Her mother was wild with fear when she didn't return home after the party.‎
  5. Disheveled, tangled, or untidy.
    After a week on the trail without a mirror, my hair was wild and dirty.‎
  6. Enthusiastic.
    I'm not wild about the idea of a two day car trip with my nephews, but it's my only option.‎
  7. Inaccurate.
    The novice archer fired a wild shot and hit her opponent's target.‎
  8. Exposed to the wind and sea; unsheltered.
    a wild roadstead
  9. (nautical) Hard to steer; said of a vessel.
  10. (mathematics, of a knot) Not capable of being represented as a finite closed polygonal chain.

Antonyms

  • (mathematics): tame

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

wild ‎(comparative more wild, superlative most wild)

  1. Inaccurately; not on target.
    The javelin flew wild and struck a spectator, to the horror of all observing.

Noun

wild ‎(plural wilds)

  1. The undomesticated state of a wild animal
    After mending the lion's leg, we returned him to the wild
  2. (chiefly in the plural) a wilderness
    • 1730–1774, Oliver Goldsmith, Introductory to Switzerland
      Thus every good his native wilds impart
      Imprints the patriot passion on his heart;
      And e’en those ills that round his mansion rise
      Enhance the bliss his scanty funds supplies.

Verb

wild ‎(third-person singular simple present wilds, present participle wilding, simple past and past participle wilded)

  1. (intransitive, slang) To commit random acts of assault, robbery, and rape in an urban setting, especially as a gang.
    • 1989, David E. Pitt, Jogger's Attackers Terrorized at Least 9 in 2 Hours, New York Times (April 22, 1989), page 1:
      ...Chief of Detectives Robert Colangelo, who said the attacks appeared unrelated to money, race, drugs, or alcohol, said that some of the 20 youths brought in for questioning has told investigators that the crime spree was the product of a pastime called "wilding".
      "It's not a term that we in the police had heard before," the chief said, noting that the police were unaware of any similar incident in the park recently. "They just said, 'We were going wilding.' In my mind at this point, it implies that they were going to raise ****."...
    • 1999, Busta Rhymes (Trevor Taheim Smith, Jr.), Iz They Wildin Wit Us? (song)
      Now is they wildin with us / And getting rowdy with us.

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: ran · important · mine · #574: wild · front · France · London

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch wild, from Old Dutch *wildi, from Proto-Germanic *wilþijaz.

Adjective

wild ‎(attributive wilde, comparative wilder, superlative wildste)

  1. wild

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ʋɪlt]

Etymology

From Old Dutch *wildi, from Proto-Germanic *wilþijaz. Compare German wild, West Frisian wyld, English wild, Danish vild.

Adjective

wild ‎(comparative wilder, superlative wildst)

  1. wild

Inflection

Inflection of wild
uninflected wild
inflected wilde
comparative wilder
positive comparative superlative
predicative/adverbial wild wilder het wildst
het wildste
indefinite m./f. sing. wilde wildere wildste
n. sing. wild wilder wildste
plural wilde wildere wildste
definite wilde wildere wildste
partitive wilds wilders —

Noun

wild n ‎(uncountable)

  1. game (food)

Anagrams

German

Etymology

From Old High German wildi, from Proto-Germanic *wilþijaz. Compare Dutch wild, English wild, Danish vild.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [vɪlt]

Adjective

wild ‎(comparative wilder, superlative am wildesten)

  1. wild

Declension

Comparative forms of wild
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative er ist wilder sie ist wilder es ist wilder sie sind wilder
strong declension
(without article)		 nominative wilderer wildere wilderes wildere
genitive wilderen wilderer wilderen wilderer
dative wilderem wilderer wilderem wilderen
accusative wilderen wildere wilderes wildere
weak declension
(with definite article)		 nominative der wildere die wildere das wildere die wilderen
genitive des wilderen der wilderen des wilderen der wilderen
dative dem wilderen der wilderen dem wilderen den wilderen
accusative den wilderen die wildere das wildere die wilderen
mixed declension
(with indefinite article)		 nominative ein wilderer eine wildere ein wilderes (keine) wilderen
genitive eines wilderen einer wilderen eines wilderen (keiner) wilderen
dative einem wilderen einer wilderen einem wilderen (keinen) wilderen
accusative einen wilderen eine wildere ein wilderes (keine) wilderen

Low German

Etymology

From Old Saxon wildi, from Proto-Germanic *wilþijaz. Compare English, Dutch and German wild, West Frisian wyld, Danish vild.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /wɪlt/

Adjective

wild ‎(comparative willer, superlative willst)

  1. wild

Declension

Comparative forms of wild
gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative he is willer se is willer dat is willer se sünd willer
partitive een willers een willers wat willers allens willer
strong declension
(without article)		 nominative willere willere willer willere
oblique willern willere willer willere
weak declension
(with definite article)		 nominative de willere de willere dat willere de willern
oblique den willern de willere dat willere de willern
mixed declension
(with indefinite article)		 nominative en willere en willere en willer (keen) willern
oblique en willern en willere en willer (keen) willern

Maltese

Etymology

From Arabic ولد (wálada, to give birth).

Noun

wild ?

  1. birth

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old English wilde, from Proto-Germanic *wilþijaz. Compare West Frisian wyld, Dutch wild, German wild, Danish vild.

Pronunciation

  • enPR: wīld, IPA(key): /waɪld/
  • Rhymes: -aɪld

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