[wil.der.ness] n [ME, fr. wildern wild, fr. OE wilddeoren of wild beasts] (13c) 1 a (1): a tract or region uncultivated and uninhabited by human beings (2): an area essentially undisturbed by human activity together with its naturally developed life community b: an empty or pathless area or region "in remote ~es of space groups of nebulae are found --G. W. Gray d.1960" c: a part of a garden devoted to wild growth
2. obs: wild or uncultivated state 3 a: a confusing multitude or mass: an indefinitely great number or quantity "I would not have given it for a ~ of monkeys --Shak." b: a bewildering situation "those moral ~es of civilized life --Norman Mailer"