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.
Shak. 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 ?
Shak.
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 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 — 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 (Zoöl.), 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 (Zoöl.), the European wild
hog 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. (Zoöl.) (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 P.
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
