wildlife

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈwaɪld.laɪf/^[1]

Etymology

It is a compound, from English wild + life, also written separately.^[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The native fauna and flora of a region: 1879 in Etymonline, MWU and MW Collegiate;^[2][3][5] the SOED dates it to the late 19th century,^[4] and RHWU to 1930–35.^[6]

Semantic evolution

Earlier, wild life in book titles meant accounts of living outdoors or among peoples regarded as uncivilized.^[2] MWU notes that the word especially means the mammals, birds and fishes hunted for sport or food,^[3] and the SOED that it often means the fauna only.^[4] It is often used attributively, as in wildlife park and wildlife sanctuary.^[5][4]

Timeline

• 1879 – the wild animals and plants of a region.^[2][3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Wild animals and plants, especially animals living in their natural, undomesticated state.

Related words

• wild
• life
• wilderness
• fauna
• flora

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House