Where does “wild” come from?
wild (English) comes from Middle English wild, from Old English wilde, from Proto-West Germanic wilþī, from Proto-Germanic wilþijaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂welh₁- — to rule; strong, powerful; hair; wool.
wild (English): Untamed; not domesticated; specifically, in an...
Definitions
- Untamed; not domesticated; specifically, in an...
Ancestry of “wild”, step by step
wild traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English wild
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | wild | — |
| 2 | Old English | wilde | wild, savage |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | wilþī | wild |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | wilþijaz | wild |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂welh₁- | to rule; strong, powerful; hair; wool |
via Middle English wilde
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | wilde | Wild, undomesticated, untamed |