FERAL


Meaning of FERAL in English

I. ˈfirəl, ˈfer- adjective

Etymology: Medieval Latin feralis, from Latin fera wild animal (from feminine of ferus wild) + -alis -al

1.

a. : suggestive of a beast of prey

feral teeth

specifically : characterized by inhuman ferocity

the feral hostility of his fellow officers as they denounced and judged him — Albert Hubbell

b. : being, characteristic of, or suggesting an animal in the state of nature

the human and feral inhabitants of the forest

as feral in her wariness as the fierce … dogs that stalked the countryside — Ann F. Wolfe

c. : lacking a human personality due to being reared in isolation from all or nearly all human contacts : not socialized

feral children who had been adopted by wolves

2.

a. : existing in a state of nature : not domesticated or cultivated

feral and semidomestic animals

b. : having escaped from domestication and become wild

several species introduced by settlers soon became feral

Synonyms: see brutal

II. adjective

Etymology: Latin feralis

1. archaic : causing death : deadly , fatal

thence come … feral diseases — Robert Burton

2. : of or relating to the dead : funereal , gloomy

in feral order slow the slaughter barges go — F.T.Palgrave

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.