Etymologically
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wildlife

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 04:23. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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.
  • 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