Feral

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈfɛrəl/

Definitions

1. Wild and untamed, especially describing an animal that has escaped from domestication and returned to living in nature
2. Existing definitions cannot be repeated. The following are three alternative wordings: A domesticated or formerly captive creature that has reverted to an untamed state and survives without human care
3. An animal displaying wild, uncontrolled behavior due to lack of human socialization or escape from captive conditions

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "feral" is that its Latin ancestor, "fera," means "wild beast," so the word is literally about the animal rather than its behavior. From "fera," Latin formed the adjective "ferus," meaning wild, savage, or even cruel, and English adopted the derived sense of an animal living outside human control. The word arrived in English through Middle French "féral" or Late Latin "ferālis," which is why its spelling and meaning look so close to its Latin forebears. A second, separate Latin word, "fērālis," meaning "funereal" or relating to the dead, has also been proposed as a source, and the two have sometimes been linked.

Synonyms: wild, untamed, savage, uncultivated, uncontrolled

Antonyms: domesticated, tame, trained, civilized, cultivated