Wild cat

Wild cat
Wild Wild, a. [Compar. {Wilder}; superl. {Wildest}.] [OE. wilde, AS. wilde; akin to OFries. wilde, D. wild, OS. & OHG. wildi, G. wild, Sw. & Dan. vild, Icel. villr wild, bewildered, astray, Goth. wilpeis wild, and G. & OHG. wild game, deer; of uncertain origin.] [1913 Webster] 1. Living in a state of nature; inhabiting natural haunts, as the forest or open field; not familiar with, or not easily approached by, man; not tamed or domesticated; as, a wild boar; a wild ox; a wild cat. [1913 Webster]

Winter's not gone yet, if the wild geese fly that way. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

2. Growing or produced without culture; growing or prepared without the aid and care of man; native; not cultivated; brought forth by unassisted nature or by animals not domesticated; as, wild parsnip, wild camomile, wild strawberry, wild honey. [1913 Webster]

The woods and desert caves, With wild thyme and gadding vine o'ergrown. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

3. Desert; not inhabited or cultivated; as, wild land. ``To trace the forests wild.'' --Shak. [1913 Webster]

4. Savage; uncivilized; not refined by culture; ferocious; rude; as, wild natives of Africa or America. [1913 Webster]

5. Not submitted to restraint, training, or regulation; turbulent; tempestuous; violent; ungoverned; licentious; inordinate; disorderly; irregular; fanciful; imaginary; visionary; crazy. ``Valor grown wild by pride.'' --Prior. ``A wild, speculative project.'' --Swift. [1913 Webster]

What are these So withered and so wild in their attire ? --Shak. [1913 Webster]

With mountains, as with weapons, armed; which makes Wild work in heaven. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

The wild winds howl. --Addison. [1913 Webster]

Search then the ruling passion, there, alone The wild are constant, and the cunning known. --Pope. [1913 Webster]

6. Exposed to the wind and sea; unsheltered; as, a wild roadstead. [1913 Webster]

7. Indicating strong emotion, intense excitement, or ?ewilderment; as, a wild look. [1913 Webster]

8. (Naut.) Hard to steer; -- said of a vessel. [1913 Webster]

Note: Many plants are named by prefixing wild to the names of other better known or cultivated plants to which they a bear a real or fancied resemblance; as, wild allspice, wild pink, etc. See the Phrases below. [1913 Webster]

{To run wild}, to go unrestrained or untamed; to live or untamed; to live or grow without culture or training.

{To sow one's wild oats}. See under {Oat}. [1913 Webster]

{Wild allspice}. (Bot.), spicewood.

{Wild balsam apple} (Bot.), an American climbing cucurbitaceous plant ({Echinocystis lobata}).

{Wild basil} (Bot.), a fragrant labiate herb ({Calamintha Clinopodium}) common in Europe and America.

{Wild bean} (Bot.), a name of several leguminous plants, mostly species of {Phaseolus} and {Apios}.

{Wild bee} (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of undomesticated social bees, especially the domestic bee when it has escaped from domestication and built its nest in a hollow tree or among rocks.

{Wild bergamot}. (Bot.) See under {Bergamot}.

{Wild boar} (Zo["o]l.), the European wild hog ({Sus scrofa}), from which the common domesticated swine is descended.

{Wild brier} (Bot.), any uncultivated species of brier. See {Brier}.

{Wild bugloss} (Bot.), an annual rough-leaved plant ({Lycopsis arvensis}) with small blue flowers.

{Wild camomile} (Bot.), one or more plants of the composite genus {Matricaria}, much resembling camomile.

{Wild cat}. (Zo["o]l.) (a) A European carnivore ({Felis catus}) somewhat resembling the domestic cat, but larger stronger, and having a short tail. It is destructive to the smaller domestic animals, such as lambs, kids, poultry, and the like. (b) The common American lynx, or bay lynx. (c) (Naut.) A wheel which can be adjusted so as to revolve either with, or on, the shaft of a capstan. --Luce.

{Wild celery}. (Bot.) See {Tape grass}, under {Tape}.

{Wild cherry}. (Bot.) (a) Any uncultivated tree which bears cherries. The wild red cherry is {Prunus Pennsylvanica}. The wild black cherry is {Prunus serotina}, the wood of which is much used for cabinetwork, being of a light red color and a compact texture. (b) The fruit of various species of {Prunus}.

{Wild cinnamon}. See the Note under {Canella}.

{Wild comfrey} (Bot.), an American plant ({Cynoglossum Virginicum}) of the Borage family. It has large bristly leaves and small blue flowers.

{Wild cumin} (Bot.), an annual umbelliferous plant ({Lag[oe]cia cuminoides}) native in the countries about the Mediterranean.

{Wild drake} (Zo["o]l.) the mallard.

{Wild elder} (Bot.), an American plant ({Aralia hispida}) of the Ginseng family.

{Wild fowl} (Zo["o]l.) any wild bird, especially any of those considered as game birds.

{Wild goose} (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of undomesticated geese, especially the Canada goose ({Branta Canadensis}), the European bean goose, and the graylag. See {Graylag}, and {Bean goose}, under {Bean}.

{Wild goose chase}, the pursuit of something unattainable, or of something as unlikely to be caught as the wild goose. --Shak.

{Wild honey}, honey made by wild bees, and deposited in trees, rocks, the like.

{Wild hyacinth}. (Bot.) See {Hyacinth}, 1 (b) .

{Wild Irishman} (Bot.), a thorny bush ({Discaria Toumatou}) of the Buckthorn family, found in New Zealand, where the natives use the spines in tattooing.

{Wild land}. (a) Land not cultivated, or in a state that renders it unfit for cultivation. (b) Land which is not settled and cultivated.

{Wild licorice}. (Bot.) See under {Licorice}.

{Wild mammee} (Bot.), the oblong, yellowish, acid fruit of a tropical American tree ({Rheedia lateriflora}); -- so called in the West Indies.

{Wild marjoram} (Bot.), a labiate plant ({Origanum vulgare}) much like the sweet marjoram, but less aromatic.

{Wild oat}. (Bot.) (a) A tall, oatlike kind of soft grass ({Arrhenatherum avenaceum}). (b) See {Wild oats}, under {Oat}.

{Wild pieplant} (Bot.), a species of dock ({Rumex hymenosepalus}) found from Texas to California. Its acid, juicy stems are used as a substitute for the garden rhubarb.

{Wild pigeon}. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The rock dove. (b) The passenger pigeon.

{Wild pink} (Bot.), an American plant ({Silene Pennsylvanica}) with pale, pinkish flowers; a kind of catchfly.

{Wild plantain} (Bot.), an arborescent endogenous herb ({Heliconia Bihai}), much resembling the banana. Its leaves and leaf sheaths are much used in the West Indies as coverings for packages of merchandise.

{Wild plum}. (Bot.) (a) Any kind of plum growing without cultivation. (b) The South African prune. See under {Prune}.

{Wild rice}. (Bot.) See {Indian rice}, under {Rice}.

{Wild rosemary} (Bot.), the evergreen shrub {Andromeda polifolia}. See {Marsh rosemary}, under {Rosemary}.

{Wild sage}. (Bot.) See {Sagebrush}.

{Wild sarsaparilla} (Bot.), a species of ginseng ({Aralia nudicaulis}) bearing a single long-stalked leaf.

{Wild sensitive plant} (Bot.), either one of two annual leguminous herbs ({Cassia Cham[ae]crista}, and {Cassia nictitans}), in both of which the leaflets close quickly when the plant is disturbed.

{Wild service}.(Bot.) See {Sorb}.

{Wild Spaniard} (Bot.), any one of several umbelliferous plants of the genus {Aciphylla}, natives of New Zealand. The leaves bear numerous bayonetlike spines, and the plants form an impenetrable thicket.

{Wild turkey}. (Zo["o]l.) See 2d {Turkey}. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • wild cat — cat cat (k[a^]t), n. [AS. cat; akin to D. & Dan. kat, Sw. katt, Icel. k[ o]ttr, G. katze, kater, Ir. cat, W. cath, Armor. kaz, LL. catus, Bisc. catua, NGr. ga ta, ga tos, Russ. & Pol. kot, Turk. kedi, Ar. qitt; of unknown origin. Cf. {Kitten}.] 1 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Wild Cat — Album par Tygers of Pan Tang Sortie 23 août 1980 Enregistrement Juin 1980 Morgan Studios, Londres Durée 44:36 (version originale) Genre Hard rock, Heavy m …   Wikipédia en Français

  • wild|cat — «WYLD KAT», noun, adjective, verb, cat|ted, cat|ting. –noun. 1. Scientifically, any wild member of the common cat species Felis silvestris. In a looser or less scientific usage, however, wildcat can refer to other species of larger cats,… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Wild-cat — a. 1. Unsound; worthless; irresponsible; unsafe; said to have been originally applied to the notes of an insolvent bank in Michigan upon which there was the figure of a panther. [1913 Webster] 2. (Railroad) Running without control; running along …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • wild cat — wild ,cat noun count a wild animal that is similar to a pet cat but larger a. any member of the cat family that lives in natural conditions, rather than with people …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • wild cat — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms wild cat : singular wild cat plural wild cats a) a wild animal that is similar to a pet cat but larger b) any member of the cat family that lives in natural conditions, rather than with people …   English dictionary

  • wild cat — vilpišys statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Felis silvestris angl. European wild cat; wild cat vok. europäische Wildkatze; Waldkatze; wilde Katze; Wildkatze rus. дикая кошка; европейская кошка;… …   Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

  • Wild Cat — Der Begriff Wild Cat bezeichnet ein Explorationsunternehmen zur Suche von Mineralien und Erzen, dass äußerst riskant, aber bei Erfolg sehr ertragsreich sein kann. Quelle Gabler Banklexikon Handwörterbuch für das Bank und Sparkassenwesen mit… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Wild Cat (Seminole) — Wild Cat Wild Cat, born Coacoochee or Cowacoochee (c. 1807/1810–1857), was a leading Seminole chieftain during the later stages of the Second Seminole War as well as the nephew of Micanopy. Wild Cat s exact place year and place of birth is not… …   Wikipedia

  • wild´cat´ter — wild|cat «WYLD KAT», noun, adjective, verb, cat|ted, cat|ting. –noun. 1. Scientifically, any wild member of the common cat species Felis silvestris. In a looser or less scientific usage, however, wildcat can refer to other species of larger cats …   Useful english dictionary

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