■ noun
1》 a large area covered chiefly with trees and undergrowth.
↘ historical an area, typically owned by the sovereign and partly wooded, kept for hunting and having its own laws.
2》 a dense mass of vertical or tangled objects.
■ verb [usu. as adjective ~ed ] plant with trees.
Derivatives
~ation noun
Origin
ME: via OFr. from late L. ~is (silva) , lit. '(wood) outside', from L. foris (see foreign ).